The Captive's Heart
by KimberlieR
Summary: After escaping a crazed killer, Rose Hathaways life is turned upside down. With the help of the Federal Agent that rescued her, she tries to put the pieces of her life back together. But the killer is still out there and the threat is always looming. Can Dimitri help Rose over come her past while still keeping her safe? All Human. Rated Teen now, but might change to M for content..
1. Chapter 1

**Rose's POV**

_I was running out of time._

_As I dragged my battered and bloody body down the long hall I tried to form some sort of plan. I was weak, malnourished, and I can't even tell you how long I've been trapped in this place. Every step I took brought me closer to the edge of consciousness, and I didn't know how much more my weary mind could take._

_After stumbling into yet another dead end, I let my legs give out and my broken body slid down the wall towards the floor. I could feel the sobs building in my chest and with the last of my mental effort I sent up a silent prayer. I could only hope that the girl I helped escape had found her way to freedom. I could still see the hesitation in gentle sapphire eyes when I told her to go ahead without me. I knew our captors were gaining on us and she was far too weak to fight. To be honest I wasn't in great shape either but I figure at least one of us deserved a chance and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to give it to her._

_It didn't take long before my eyelids grew heavy and I could feel the weight of the darkness that threatened to drown me. A small part of me was aware of the irritating voice in the back of my mind, the voice that kept urging me to fight. But its effort were futile, I couldn't even muster the energy to blink._

_I was just about to succumb to the darkness when I caught sound of a commotion on the ground floor below. Mustering all the strength in my being, I strained my ears to hear the voices called out. I heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots before I noticed the footsteps that began rapidly approaching. This was it. He's found me. I cringed when they stopped and prayed that death would come quickly. _

_But it never came._

_The next sound I heard would forever be grained into my mind. It was the sound of an angel calling out to me. _

"_Rose, my name is Dimitri Belikov. I'm a federal agent and I'm here to take you home."_

* * *

><p>When I opened my eyes, it was to an unfamiliar room, and I had to strain to see under the harsh fluorescent lights.<p>

_Geez, who ordered the sun?_

"I think she's waking up!" Lissa whispered from somewhere close by. Even with my eyes closed, I knew it was her. It was a voice I would recognize anywhere.

I forced my eyes to ignore the brightness, allowing myself to get a glimpse of my surroundings. Based on the lights, the wires, and the incessant beeping sound, I was pretty sure I was in a hospital.

"Rose, can you hear me?" Lissa asked softly.

I turned my head in the direction of her voice, but let out a whimper at the pain it caused.

"Liss" I croaked, and she smoothed a piece of rogue hair away from my face.

"Shhh, it's okay. Here drink this." She carefully handed me a cup of water and I greedily took a big sip.

With my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I noticed for the first time that we weren't alone in the room.

Standing by the window was an incredibly tall and painfully beautiful man eyeing me with cautious concern. If I had to guess I'd say he was at least 6'6 or 6'7. He had shoulder length brown hair tied back at the nape of his neck and his eyes were an amazing shade of milk chocolate. Even through the layers of his clothes, I could tell he had the body of a God, and yet despite his rigid posture, he seemed incredibly kind. I immediately felt comforted by his presence.

"Rose, my name is Dimitri Belikov. Do you remember me?" He asked softly.

_Oh sweet Jesus, that accent! Could this guy get any sexier?_

But even caught up in my preoccupation, I instantly recognized his voice. I didn't trust my own voice not to crack, so instead I just gave him a nod.

"Good, that's very good Rose." He smiled, somehow making his face even more beautiful. "Now can you tell me what happened?"

_A lot of things had happened. He was going to have to be more specific._

As if somehow reading my mind, he decided to clarify.

"Can you tell me how you escaped?"

_Oh Crap! _

"The other girl" I half shouted, wincing at the pain it caused in my throat "Is she okay? Where is she?"

"Mia is fine Rose, just breathe." Lissa reassured me, giving my shaking hand a gentle squeeze.

I took a few deep breaths trying to will my mind to focus, but the more I remembered, the more overwhelmed I became. Each time I tried to answer I'd end up breaking down in tears. The night I was kidnapped, the smell of that room, the way his hands felt on my body. It was all too much and the more I remembered the more I wanted to forget.

Dimitri's eyes softened and he gave me a kind smile.

"Hey…it's okay. We don't have to do this right now. Just get some rest Rose. We can talk about this some more when you're ready."

He was just about to exit the door when I stopped him.

"Dimitri" I called out.

I had a difficult question to ask, but I wasn't sure I was ready for the answer.

"Did you catch him?"

I watched him studying my face closely before he answered.

"We will Rose… I promise.

* * *

><p><strong> Hey everybody. This is an all human story I started writing before Royal Hearts and decided I'd share a little bit with you. Don't worry I'm not abandoning Royal Hearts, a lot of this story was already written and I'm just now getting around to publishing it. Let me know if you think it's worth continuing : )<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Dimitri's POV **

It had been 6 weeks since the Raid, and we still had no leads on Nathan Whitmore.

"How the hell does this guy keep vanishing?" I growled slamming my hand down a little too hard on the kitchen table. The force caused some of the files we were studying to scatter onto the floor. I could feel Ivan and Tasha eyeing me with concerned, but I was too annoyed to care.

We'd been trying to catch this asshole for months, and every time we get close he managed to slip through our fingers. Nathan Whitmore was responsible for the rape, torture and murder of 6 college women, and had the other girls not escaped, it would have been 8.

"The guys slick D, not to mention he's got money. With the right amount of cash you can buy pretty much anything, including people's silence."

I knew Ivan was right, but it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

"Dimka, I think you need a break." Tasha suggested looking up from her stack of papers. She was my partner and a longtime friend, but sometimes she was a real pain in the ass. Standing up from her seat she moved behind me to try and work the kinks out of my neck.

Growing up together she'd never been shy about her feelings for me, and over the years her advances had only grown. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Natasha, in fact most guys would consider her a catch. She was beautiful, smart, and had a great sense of humor. But she'd been my friend since I was 10 and that's all she would ever be.

As for Ivan, he was the closest thing I had to a brother. He grew up an only child and I grew up in a house with 3 sisters. After my family moved here from Russia, Ivan's family was close to follow and we'd been inseparable ever since. After graduating from college he moved to Chicago to open up his own club, and I worked with Tasha at the FBI branch in the city.

Speaking of Tasha, she was still ignoring my efforts to shrug her off when I looked to Ivan for help.

"Hey Dimitri, isn't it time for Rose's physical therapy?" he asked with a wink.

Glancing down at my watch I realized he was right.

"Oh Shit. I'm gonna be late. "

I was throwing the loose files in my briefcase when I heard Tasha sigh.

"Dimka, don't you think it's a little weird how much time you're spending with her? I mean she's a victim of the case you're working on, it seems kind of inappropriate."

In truth we had been spending a lot of time together, but only because she didn't have anyone else. Her mom died when she was 9, her dad was MIA, and her best friend Lissa was the closest thing she had to a family. She'd been forced to spend the last several weeks cooped up in the hospital and between work and school; Lissa could only do so much.

"In case you forgot Tasha, the person responsible for kidnapping her is still at large. She's alone, scared, and facing a horrific recovery. If I can't catch the bastard that did this, the least I can do is keep her safe."

Even as the words left my mouth I knew they were only half true. If I'm being honest with myself, the truth is I like spending time with Rose, probably a lot more than I should. She was smart, funny and infuriatingly stubborn. She was tough too, but could still be vulnerable at times. And even in the face of all that had happened, she refused to give up. She was a fighter and I liked that.

* * *

><p>When I arrived that the hospital, it didn't take me long to find her. I'd started going with her to physical therapy 2 weeks ago and I knew the way well. I was just outside the door when I heard Rose shouting.<p>

"Stop telling me that!"

She was so worked up she didn't even notice me open the door.

"Rose, you're pushing yourself too hard" the therapist told her. "Your body can't handle this."

"Screw you Doc, I know my limits better than anyone! Maybe you just suck at your job!"

I could tell the therapist was losing patience with her and it was probably time to intervene.

"Rose, what's going on? I asked trying to draw her attention towards me.

She was sitting in a wheel chair next to the parallel bars with a murderous look on her face.

"I'm being chained to this chair like an invalid because SOME people are too lazy to do their damn jobs!" She cried shooting eye daggers at the doctor standing nearby.

"Rose is just frustrated because she's not ready for the bars yet" the doctor tried to explain.

"I'm ready!" Rose growled, her small hands clutched into tight fists.

She may have escaped from Whitmore but she hadn't done so unscathed. She'd suffered a massive concussion, 4 broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a broken leg and a broken ankle. All in all the girl was a mess. I knew from her previous sessions that the therapist wanted her to work on rebuilding her upper body strength before even attempting to let her out of the chair. But I also knew how miserable she was having to depend on others to get around.

"Would it be possible to speak to you outside for a moment?" I asked the therapist politely. I barely had a chance to close the door before the doctor turned on me.

"She's not ready. I know she thinks she is, but she's not. This is my job Agent Belikov. I do this all day, every day and I am telling you, she's not ready."

"I know" I told her simply and she gave me an odd look.

"You do?" She asked suspiciously, like it was some sort of trick. The whole exchange was comical and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I do." I told her earnestly. "Look, you and I both know she's not ready, but Rose needs to figure it out for herself. She's stubborn and impatient but she isn't stupid. If you let her try and she falls on her face, she'll accept this on her own terms. Otherwise she'll keep being impossible."

"You want to set her up to fail?"

"No I want to set her up to face reality. Right now, that chair is her reality and this is the best way to make her see that."

I could tell she wasn't entirely on board with the idea, but I'd come to understand Rose, and I knew this was the only way. After a bit more convincing on my part we walked back into the room.

"Alright Rose, you win. Let's get you out of that chair.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rose's POV**

I was still sulking after my shitty therapy session when my regular doc popped in.

"There's my favorite patient. How was today's session?" He asked, and I heard Dimitri chuckle in the chair beside me.

"Really Dimitri? You think it's cool to taunt the crippled kid?

"I'm sorry Rose, but you should have been the look on your face when you fell. You were far less hurt than appalled." He laughed.

_I hated to admit he was right. Damn sexy Russian._

"Whatever Comrade, laugh it up now. Just know that when I'm back on my feet, your ass is mine."

Judging by the smile on his face he wasn't worried.

"Duly Noted." He told me before turning his attention back to his book.

His presence here had become something of the norm lately. With Lissa torn between work and school, Dimitri had taken it upon himself to become my only source of entertaining. Not that I was complaining. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love having Dimitri around, and being with him here felt safe.

"Well I'm sorry you had such a rough day, but I think it's about to get a whole lot better" the doctor smirked. It was a knowing smile and my stomach started to twist in anticipation.

I'd been trapped in this hell hole for weeks now and was impatiently awaiting my release. Christmas was in less than 3 weeks and I had no intentions of being stuck in here for that.

I mean sure the nurses did their best to add a little cheer. The antiseptic corridors were littered with decorations, but it was still just a hallway covered in paper snowflakes and the overwhelming scent of pine sol.

"Well don't leave me handing Doc! What's the word? Are you gonna spring me? "I asked with too much enthusiasm and he chuckled.

"Consider yourself sprung." He smiled.

I couldn't even be appropriately embarrassed about the squeal that escaped my lips. I was simply too excited.

"Now you'll still need to keep up with your therapies, and schedule follow ups with the neurologist and orthopedic surgeons, but I see no reason why you can't continue with the rest of your recovery at home. Now do you have any other questions?" he asked, but I only had one.

"How soon can I go?"

"I'll have the nurse bring in your discharge papers right away." He laughed before leaving the room.

"Eeek!" I squealed again. "Did you hear that Comrade, I'm a free woman!"

I looked over at Dimitri expecting to see a smile, but all I found was a look of concern.

"Hey what's wrong?" I asked. He looked far too grim considering the news we'd just received.

He had set his book down on the bedside table, and was rubbing the back of his neck with his hand; something I noticed he did a lot when he was stressed about something.

"Rose I'm not sure leaving us such a good idea."

_Was he kidding me?_

"Why the hell not?" I shot back. I'd been dying to ditch this place for weeks now!

"Well for one thing, you still need a lot of help. Lissa isn't home very often and until you're back on your feet, you should really have someone around."

"I can take care of myself Dimitri. I don't need a babysitter."

Honestly, he made a valid a point. I was an invalid and I knew it, but I wasn't about to tell him that!

"Even if that's true, we still haven't found Whitmore" he reminded me and I felt my whole body go stiff as a result.

"I'm sorry Rose, I know how excited you are, I just hate the idea of you being off on your own with the killer still out there."

"I hadn't even thought of that." I whispered as the traitorous tears pricked at my eyes. Just then the nurse entered the room holding the clipboard of freedom.

_So close, yet so far away._

"Are you ready to go sweetheart?" She asked, and that's when I completely lost it.

My whole body began to shake with sobs and Dimitri quickly sprang into action. Within seconds he was cradling me to his chest and murmuring nonsensical things to me in Russian. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I felt comforted all the same.

"I just want to go home." I sobbed. "Don't I deserve that?"

After everything I had been through, I didn't think that was asking for much.

"Oh Roza, of course you do. It's the very least you deserve…and I think I might have a solution."

I tried taking a few deep breaths so I could focus on what he was saying. Using the back of my hand I wiped away the remaining tears and when he felt I was calm enough he spoke.

"Now this is just a suggestion, and if you're uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. But if you'd like, I'd be happy to come and stay with you for awhile, at least until you're back on your feet. I could sleep on the couch and come and go like I've been doing with the hospital."

I could feel his heavy gaze on me trying to gauge whether or not this was something I wanted.

Honestly, it sounded incredible.

"You would do that for me?" I asked with a sniffle.

"Roza, there isn't much I wouldn't do to keep you safe." As soon as the words left his mouth he turned an adorable shade of pink. I could tell he was embarrassed although he didn't need to be.

I smiled a shaky smile at the wonderful man in front of me.

"Well in that case…bring on the wheel chair Comrade. I'm ready to go home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dimitri's POV**

"You're doing what?" Tasha screeched as she followed me around my bedroom.

After working out the details with Rose, I'd come home to pack a bag and fill Ivan in.

"Tasha, take it down an octave." Ivan laughed from his place against the door frame of my bedroom. "He's a grown man, he can move wherever he wants."

She shot him an incredulous look.

"Not into the house of an attempted murder victim! Dimitri you barely know her, not to mention what Alberta will think!" Alberta Petrov was the special agent in charge at our Chicago branch.

"Actually I already cleared it with her and she thought it was a great idea. So great in fact that she's assigning a security detail to Mia as well."

For the first time since I walked in the door Tasha was rendered speechless and thank God for that!

"Look Tasha, I appreciate the concern but Ivan's right. I'm a grown man and I'm perfectly capable of making decisions for myself."

"Fine, you win. But you're making a mistake Dimka, and trust me, this won't end well. "

A small part of me wondered if she was right. My feelings for Rose were complicated enough without me living with her 24/7. Although I knew it wouldn't be much more time than we were spending together already. I spent most of my free time at the hospital with Rose, and more often than not I slept in her beside chair.

Not that she knew about it. I always woke before her to go home and shower, and the only person besides the staff that knew was Ivan, and he seemed to understand.

I hadn't planned on spending every night there, the first time I fell asleep it was by accident. But then Rose woke up screaming in the middle of the night and I was the only thing short of sedative that could calm her down. I had expected her to say something about it the next morning, but she never did. The doctor later explained that when it happened she was still in a state of sleep and since she didn't remember anything, it was best not to mention it. After Rose started her regular therapy sessions it happened less and less, but I still stayed at the hospital just in case. Like I'd been saying all along, with Whitmore still out there, I wasn't taking any chances.

The first week at Rose's house passed without incident and we quickly fell into a simple routine. She still planned on finishing her semester despite all the generous offers from her professors to get a pass, so she spent the better part of her day trying to play catch with all her work.

As for me, I did my best to stay out of her way. I wanted her life to feel as normal as possible and I was determined to do whatever I could to make that happen. Lissa on the other hand liked to hover and it was making Rose stir crazy. After a week home, she finally convinced her to spend the night at her boyfriend Christians so she could have a little peace.

* * *

><p>I had just gotten back from picking up Chinese when I found Rose sprawled out asleep on the couch.<p>

At 5'5 she didn't take up much room. Her athletic figure was half shrouded by the heavy blanket draped across her lap, and the book she was reading was resting on her full chest. Her thick curly black hair was hanging loosely all around her and her perfect pink lips were pursed into an adorable pout. I couldn't help but marvel at her innocence and beauty and I watched her sleep, certain I'd never seen anything more beautiful in my life.

I was just about to push a rogue piece of hair away from her face, when the shrill sound of my cellphone broke the silence. I didn't even bother checking the caller ID before answering for fear that another ring would wake Rose.

"Agent Belikov" I answered moving away from Rose and into the kitchen.

"_Dimka, my baby boy!" _My mother greeted me from the other end.

"Hey Mama, what's up?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I got an interesting call from Natasha today."

Of course she did...

"_She seemed very concerned Dimka, should I be?"_

"No Mama, nothing to be concerned about. I'm helping out a friend. She needs me right now."

"_Just a friend…"_ my mother prodded and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Mama please, don't let Tasha fill your head with gossip."

"_Well does this 'friend' have a name?"_

"Roza. I mean Rose." I corrected, but even I could hear the affectionate tone in my voice when I used her nickname.

"_Dimka I may be old, but I'm no fool. You like this girl don't you?"_

"Can we please not do this right now? I just walked in the door and my suppers getting cold." I knew she'd let me off the hook for now, if only because she hated to let any food go to waste.

"_Well played son"_ she replied grumpily causing me to chuckle once more. _"Just promise me you are still coming for Christmas. Paul has been asking about you for weeks."_

I felt a pang of guilt as I thought of my 8 year old nephew.

"I'll try Mama, but I really don't want to leave Rose all alone. Her best friend is flying back east for the holidays and she was supposed to go with her but she can't really travel far in her condition."

"_Well then bring her along with you here. I'd love to meet your new 'friend."_ She suggested putting a little too much emphasis on the word friend.

"Well see mama, we'll see. I've got to go, but I love you."

"_Love you too baby boy. Take care."_

I had just hit the end button on the phone when Rose startled me.

"Based on the language barrier, I'm assuming that was your mother." She was now sitting up on the couch and had a cheeky smile on her perfect face.

"It's not polite to eaves drop Roza."

"Yeah well it's not like I could understand anything you said anyway. No habla Russian remember? Now on to more important things, do I smell egg rolls?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her over eager expression. If there's one thing I've learned in the last few weeks it's that Rose has a seemingly endless appetite and can sniff out food from a mile away. I've seen the girl polish off entire dozen of donuts single handedly and yet somehow maintains a perfect figure.

"Nothing gets by you." I told her bringing the cartoons of Chinese into the living room.

For most of dinner we chatted easily about our days and when we were done we settled in to watch some television. It was then that I noticed the way Rose kept fidgeting with her leg, absently rubbing away at the bone in her left thigh.

"Is your leg bothering you?" I asked.

She was so preoccupied with channel surfing that it took her a minute to answer.

"What? Oh, my leg. Yeah the muscle is pretty sore today. I think it's retaliating from lack of use."

It was the same leg she had broken and I hated that she was in pain.

"Do you want me to rub it for you?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and I wanted to die of embarrassment when she shot me an amused smirk.

"If you wanted to cop a feel Comrade, all you had to do was ask." She winked.

"Ha Ha, very funny." I told her trying not to blush under her seductive gaze.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Actually that sounds great." Without warning she scooted closer to my side, allowing me better access to her thigh.

If our close proximity bothered her, she didn't show it. I went to work straight away, trying not to focus on the way her bare skin felt under my hand. She was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of sleep shorts, but with the fireplace burning in the living room left her skin plenty warm. I was so wrapped up marveling at the feel of her skin that I almost jumped when she cried out in excitement.

"Oooh Christmas specials, these are my favorites!" she exclaimed with a childlike grin on her face. I glanced over at the screen to see little Claymation creatures singing along to some Christmas carols.

"Who's that?" I asked curiously and she gave me an incredulous glare.

"Are you kidding me right now? That's the burger meister meister burger. How can you not know that?"

I didn't get why this was such a big deal.

"I've never seen this before, we never watched these growing up."

In Russia we were big on celebrating Christmas, but it was more of a religious holiday than the hallmark version with Santa. Rose stared back at me, her mouth still gaping open.

"You've never seen Santa Clause is coming to town?"

"Nope."

"Frosty the Snowman?"

"Sorry."

"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?"

"Afraid not."

"Year without a Santa?"

I just gave her a look.

"Tell me you've at least seen How the Grinch Stole Christmas?"

"What's a Grinch?"

"Comrade you're killing me!" I just want to cry for you right now!"

I laughed out loud as she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Man Dimitri, you were robbed as a kid. These movies are the staples of my Christmas's past."

Shaking her let one last time she let out a heavy sigh before scooting a little closer and resting her head on my shoulder. I couldn't help but notice the distinct smell of jasmine in her hair. It was amazing.

"Don't worry Comrade" she told me patting my leg. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll know what a Grinch is."


	5. Chapter 5

**Rose's POV**

I can't believe he's never heard of the Grinch! It's so un-American!

We'd been snuggled on the couch for the last hour, educating him on the basic of the Christmas classics while he gently massaged my aching leg.

I hadn't really thought it through when he offered, but the moment his hands started rubbing me I was instantly having second thoughts. Not to mention inappropriate thoughts, and the longer he touched me, the harder it became to think clearly. His large gentle hands, squeezing my inner thigh left me feeling dizzy and flushed and once I even slipped up and moaned. The sound escaped me before I could stop up, causing us both to go rigid and frozen.

For half a heartbeat neither of us moved, but then the moment passed and he went back to his work. I couldn't deny the man had a gift with his hands, but somewhere between Rudolph and Frosty I must have dozed off.

* * *

><p><em>(Flashback)<em>

_I woke up in a dark room; the only light shining was from the dim candles. I couldn't quite place the scent but it was sickly sweet and I instantly hated it. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the light but when they did I noticed a shadow in the corner._

"_Welcome home Rosemarie. I've been waiting for you to wake up." He seemed to know me, but it wasn't a voice I recognized._

_I tried to sit up but quickly learned that I was stuck. Both of my hands were tied securely to the headboard above me and I could tell by the fabric my bindings were silk. Looking down my eyes were met with more silk, both on the bed and in the small nightie someone had taken the time to put me in._

"_What the hell is this?" I spat at the stranger who was slowly making his way to my side._

"_Tsk Tsk Rosemarie, all in good time." _

_I closed my eyes and cringed when the bastard leaned his face close to mine, using his nose as he skimmed his way down from my hair line to my jaw before inhaling deeply and smiling. _

"_Quit smelling me you freak!"_

_I was doing my best to put on my classic Rose Hathaway bravado, but I was completely and utterly terrified. I tried to make my voice sound harsh, but even I knew I wasn't fooling anyone. Without warning he harshly grabbed my face to look at him squeezing tightly onto my chin. _

"_Feisty little one, I like that. The others just cower and plead with me, but not you." _

_The way he was staring at me made me feel gross but his firm grip kept me locked in place and despite my best efforts I couldn't look away. _

"_I think I'll take my time with you Rosemarie, really make sure we both enjoy ourselves." _

_He loosened his grip so he could pick up a candle from its place on the bedside table._

"_Screw you Asshole. I'm not enjoying shit." _

_Gathering as much saliva as I could, I spit directly into his face. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but hey, no one's ever praised me for my impulse control._

_The man took an expensive looking handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away the spit. For half a second I thought I was going to get away with it, but the moment it was carefully put away back in his pocket I felt a hard crack smack against my cheekbone and my eyes began to water in response._

"_Now, where were we?" He said, once again the picture of tranquility. He carefully reached over to lift up my night gown alerting me to the fact that I was naked underneath. My heart rate began to pick up in response as the fear and panic began to settle over me. Despite my crass language and attitude, I was still a virgin and this was so not the way I wanted to lose my virginity/_

"_What are you going to do?" I asked sharply, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice. _

_He had the most sinister smile on his face, one that turned my blood to ice in my veins._

"_Whatever I want Rosemarie. Whatever I want."_

_And when the hot wax touched my bare skin I screamed out in agony._

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

><p>"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" I cried.<p>

"Roza. Roza wake up."

My eyes flashed open and I was back in my living room. It was dimly lit by the table lamp and the fireplace. Happy bubbly cartoons were singing Christmas carols on the television screen and the air smelled faintly of our left over Chinese food.

"Roza, are you alright?"

It took me a minute to realize I was still in my living room with Dimitri, but when I did, the floodgates flew wide open. With no control over my own body I let the sobs rip through me, still shaking with the fear of the dream I'd just relived.

This wasn't the first time that Dimitri saw me loose and I doubted it would be the last. Instead he pulled me the rest of the way onto his lap while he tenderly stroked my hair. He spoke to me in Russian in soft hushed tones and I let his presence bring me comfort like only he could.

"Shhh. It's alright now Milaya, you're safe now."

* * *

><p><strong>2 weeks later...<strong>

"Rose, are you sure you're going to be okay without me. We haven't spent a Christmas apart since we were seven!"

Lissa was standing in the doorway of our apartment, staring at me like she wanted to grab me and make a run for it. Her bags were sitting in the hallway outside the door and her boyfriend Christian had an amused expression on his face.

"Liss, I'll be fine. I already told you, Dimitri is insisting I spend the holiday with his family. I won't be alone, I promise."

After my breakdown a few weeks ago, it hadn't been difficult for Dimitri to convince me to tag along. He was planning on making the hour drive to visit his family outside of the city, and he refused to let me stay home alone. To be honest, I was grateful. The last thing I wanted right now was to be alone and since I couldn't travel back east with Lissa I was more than willing to take him up on his offer.

"You heard the girl Lissa, let's go. We don't want to miss our flight Babe."

Christian tried to reason as he gave a gentle tug on her arm. She looked at me panicked and I could tell she still wasn't sure. The look on her face was almost comical and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Liss he's right, you've got to go. I promise I'll call you as soon as we get to Dimitri's mom house tonight okay...and every night after that. Deal?"

That seemed that calm her down some and she let out a reluctant sigh.

"Okay fine. But you better call me the minute you get there, or so help me I'll fly back here and kick your little butt, understand?

"Understood" I chuckled and lightly kissed her cheek.

"You ladies ready?" Dimitri and Ivan asked from the door. They were back inside the apartment collecting all of our bags and together we made our way out the front of the building. With one last lingering look, Lissa reluctantly got into the car and let Christian drive away.

Two hours later we arrived in the small town of Baia Illinois.

The ride there had been a little awkward thanks to Dimitri's friend Tasha who was apparently coming home with us for the holiday, something her and Ivan had been doing for the last few years. Both of their parents had died a few years back and Dimitri's mother Olena had insisted they would always be part of the family.

When we pulled up outside, we were met with a giant two story house. The front porch was decorated in Christmas lights and candy canes lined the walk up to the door. Thanks to the recent snow storm last night, the whole yard was covered in a fresh blanket of snow and it gave the whole place a winter wonderland look.

We were barely out of the car when an older woman in her early 60's came bustling out of the front door.

"There's my baby boy!" she cried, wrapping her arms tightly around Dimitri's neck. Right behind her came another woman close to my age who immediately attacked Ivan with hugs. Not wanting to intrude on the family reunion I stayed behind them leaning against the car to maintain my balance on the icy driveway.

"Natasha, so good to see you" Dimitri's mother smiled before her attention landed on me. She gave me the warmest smile and I immediately felt like I was home. "And you must be Rose."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Belikov, and thank you for having me."

I didn't even get a chance to get all the words out before she enveloped me in a bone crushing hug.

"Please call me Olena dear. And the pleasure is all mine. I've been so looking forward to meeting Dimka's new friend."

Dimitri coughed uncomfortably at the way she emphasized friend and we all let out a chuckle at his expense. Well everyone except Tasha.

"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm freezing my nad's off" Ivan declared, earning a chastising look from Olena after she wacked him with the dish towel tucked into her apron.

"Language boy! But you're certainly right. Come on inside before you all freeze to death."

Back inside the Belikov house we were bombarded by another wave of relatives. Dimitri's frightening grandmother grunted her hellos before making her way back upstairs, and then we were assaulted by three small children.

"Uncle Dimka!" a little boy cried and I knew from Dimitri's descriptions it must be his nephew Paul. Dimitri barely had a chance to open his arms before the small boy came barreling into him, quickly being picked up and swung around the room.

"There's my favorite guy. Look how big you are, what are you now, 28?" Dimitri asked seriously causing the sweet little boy to giggle.

"Don't be silly Uncle Dimka, I'm only 8!"

Paul laughed as he hoped down from Dimitri's arms to hug Ivan.

"Hey Paul" Natasha smiled sweetly at the boy, but a quick glance at her made me think he wasn't thrilled about her.

"Hello Miss Ozera" he answered politely. He was about to run back out of the room when he spotted me.

"Who's that?" he asked curiously as he walked over to say hello. Dimitri followed and crouched down beside him.

"Paul, this is my friend Rose. She's going to be spending Christmas with us this year." Paul got a wicked twinkle in his eye as he turned to smirk at his uncle.

"Is she your girlfriend?" he asked causing everyone to chuckle once again.

"No" Dimitri laughed ruffling his nephew's hair.

"Well she should be. She's pretty" he announced before throwing his little arms around my legs. I tried not to wince at the pain it caused. Everyone but Tasha was still laughing when Dimitri pried the little boy gently off my leg.

"Easy Paul. Roza had an accident and got very hurt so we have to be gentle with her okay." The little boy looked at me with a sheepish smile before apologizing.

"I'm sorry Roza; I'll be gentle next time." He was too cute for words and I couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks Paul, but don't worry. Your Uncle's just worry wart. I won't break" I winked and he giggled as he beamed back up at me.

After meeting Dimitri's family, all my earlier fears seemed to wash away. Not only were they kind and friendly, but they seemed to genuinely accept me, no questions asked. And for the first time in a long time, I finally felt like I was part of a family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dimitris POV **

Any fears Rose had about not fitting in seemed to vanish the moment she stepped in the door. Not only had my family been kind to her, but they made her feel like she belonged here, and by the end of dinner I knew she felt like she did too.

Victoria and Paul had taken an immediate liking to her, and had barely left her side since we arrived.

My nieces; Zoya who was 5 and Yulia who was 3 seemed pretty attached as well and when we finished up with dinner, continued to fight over who would get to sit next to her while we watched a Christmas movie. Rose had insisted on bringing the Christmas classics we'd watched last week and the children were ecstatic when she pulled them out of their bag. But when the first disc of movie's ended, sadly it was time for bed.

"But Babushka, there's another disc with movies" Paul complained trying to convince his grandmother they should stay up later.

"And you are more than welcome to watch them tomorrow" she told him sternly before the three small kids drudged up the stairs.

After setting up all the sleeping arrangements, Ivan and I settled our things on the couch before heading up stairs to tell everyone goodnight.

Mama and my babushka were sleeping in her room. Victoria and Sonya were sleeping in Sonya's bed, while all the kids camped out in Yulia's room. Tasha took the guest room and Victoria offered her room to Rose. My eldest sister Karolina and her husband were at their own house not far, but agreed to let their two kids spend the night when Paul insisted he couldn't leave Rose. It warmed my heart to know how much he had taken to her so when I went upstairs to find him, I shouldn't have been surprised to see him with Rose.

I had just rounded the top of the stairs when I found my Mama leaning against the wall outside Victoria's door. I was just about to ask her what she was doing but she held a finger up to her lips and pointed towards the room. That's when I heard them, and a huge smile spread across my face.

Taking a quick peek into the room unnoticed, I saw Rose sitting on the bed with Paul, Zoya and Yulia snuggled around her, completely engrossed in the story in her hands.

"_The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!  
>Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.<br>It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.  
>It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.<br>But I think that the most likely reason of all  
>May have been that his heart was two sizes too small."<em>

"My shoes are too small!" Zoya interrupted causing Rose to laugh, but a quick shh from Paul shifted her attention back to the story.

"What are you guys doing?" Ivan whispered with a smirk, and like she'd done with me, Mama pointed towards the door. After peaking in himself, Ivan settled beside us in the hall to listen.

_"And they're hanging their stockings!" he snarled with a sneer.  
>"Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here!"<br>Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,  
>"I MUST find a way to keep Christmas from coming!"<em>

As Rose kept reading, the kids kept laughing. She told the story with enthusiasm, and even made character voices.

_Then he got an idea!  
>An awful idea!<br>THE GRINCH  
>GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!<em>

_"I know just what to do!" The Grinch Laughed in his throat._  
><em>And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat.<em>  
><em>And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!<em>  
><em>"With this coat and this hat, I'll look just like Saint Nick!"<em>

_"All I need is a reindeer..."_  
><em>The Grinch looked around.<em>  
><em>But since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found.<em>  
><em>Did that stop the old Grinch...?<em>  
><em>No! The Grinch simply said,<em>  
><em>"If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!"<em>  
><em>So he called his dog Max. Then he took some red thread<em>  
><em>And he tied a big horn on top of his head.<em>

_THEN_  
><em>He loaded some bags<em>  
><em>And some old empty sacks<em>  
><em>On a ramshackle sleigh<em>  
><em>And he hitched up old Max.<em>

"She's really great with them" Mama whispered and when I tore my gaze away from Rose, I saw a knowing glint in my mother's eyes. I wanted to say something to defend myself, explain the staring, but it was pointless. She's known me my whole life, and I'd be a fool to think I could hide something from her.

_Then he slid down the chimney. A rather tight pinch.  
>But if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch.<br>He got stuck only once, for a moment or two.  
>Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue<br>Where the little Who stockings all hung in a row.  
>"These stockings," he grinned, "are the first things to go!"<em>

_Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant,_  
><em>Around the whole room, and he took every present!<em>  
><em>Pop guns! And bicycles! Roller skates! Drums!<em>  
><em>Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! And plums!<em>  
><em>And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grinch, very nimbly,<em>  
><em>Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimney!<em>

_Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos' feast!_  
><em>He took the Who-pudding! He took the roast beast!<em>  
><em>He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash.<em>  
><em>Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash!<em>

_Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee._  
><em>"And NOW!" grinned the Grinch, "I will stuff up the tree!"<em>

_And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove_  
><em>When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove.<em>  
><em>He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who!<em>  
><em>Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two.<em>

_The Grinch had been caught by this little Who daughter_  
><em>Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water.<em>  
><em>She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why,<em>  
><em>"Why are you taking our Christmas tree? WHY?"<em>

_But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick_  
><em>He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick!<em>  
><em>"Why, my sweet little tot," the fake Santy Claus lied,<em>  
><em>"There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side.<em>  
><em>"So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear.<em>  
><em>"I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here."<em>

_And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head_  
><em>And he got her a drink and he sent he to bed.<em>  
><em>And when Cindy-Lou Who went to bed with her cup,<em>  
><em>HE went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up!<em>

_Then the last thing he took_  
><em>Was the log for their fire.<em>  
><em>Then he went up the chimney himself, the old liar.<em>  
><em>On their walls he left nothing but hooks, and some wire.<em>

_And the one speck of food_  
><em>The he left in the house<em>  
><em>Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse<em>

"How come we never read this as a child?" Sonya asked. By now her and Victoria had joined in the story too, and even Tasha had made her way into the hall to listen.

"I'd never heard of it" answered Mama. "But I sure wish I had." No one else spoke and we listened intently to the end.

_Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Crumpit,  
>He rode to the tiptop to dump it!<br>"Pooh-pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.  
>"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!<br>"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!  
>"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two<br>"The all the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"_

_"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,_  
><em>"That I simply must hear!"<em>  
><em>So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.<em>  
><em>And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.<em>  
><em>It started in low. Then it started to grow...<em>

_But the sound wasn't sad!_  
><em>Why, this sound sounded merry!<em>  
><em>It couldn't be so!<em>  
><em>But it WAS merry! VERY!<em>

_He stared down at Who-ville!_  
><em>The Grinch popped his eyes!<em>  
><em>Then he shook!<em>  
><em>What he saw was a shocking surprise!<em>

_Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,_  
><em>Was singing! Without any presents at all!<em>  
><em>He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!<em>  
><em>IT CAME!<em>  
><em>Somehow or other, it came just the same!<em>

_And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,_  
><em>Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?<em>  
><em>It came without ribbons! It came without tags!<em>  
><em>"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"<em>  
><em>And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.<em>  
><em>Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!<em>  
><em>"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.<em>  
><em>"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"<em>

_And what happened then...?_  
><em>Well...in Who-ville they say<em>  
><em>That the Grinch's small heart<em>  
><em>Grew three sizes that day!<em>  
><em>And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,<em>  
><em>He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light<em>  
><em>And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!<em>  
><em>And he...<em>

_...HE HIMSELF...!_  
><em>The Grinch carved the roast beast!<em>  
><em>~Dr Seuss<em>

"_The end"_

"Alright you three, bed time" Mama announced as she made her presence known in the doorway.

All three kids groaned and reluctantly climbed off the bed.

"Goodnight Roza" Paul whispered as he kissed Rose lightly on the cheek, and a beautiful smile lit up her face. "Thank you for the story."

"You're welcome Paul. See you in the morning."

I gave Paul a good night hug as he passed before going to sit beside Rose on the edge of her bed.

"Did you come to get a goodnight story too Comrade?" She teased as she ran her long slender fingers through her loose hair.

"So this is a Grinch huh?" I asked, taking the book off the bed and flipping lightly through the pages.

"It was my favorite growing up. My mom used to read it to me every Christmas. Well, at least the first nine Christmas's anyway." She told me looking down at the bed spread. I knew she was remembering her mother, and without thinking I reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek in my hand.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" I asked her, wishing she would beg me to stay. I hated the idea of being all the way down stairs, especially after I'd grown used to sleeping closer by.

"I'll be okay Comrade; you're just a flight of stairs away." Her words were strong, but I could see a trace of hesitation in her eyes. I wanted to argue, but with Rose I knew better. Standing up I leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her forehead before walking out to flip the light.

"Goodnight Roza, you know where to find me if you need me."

Closing the door I went downstairs to find Ivan. Unsurprisingly he was waiting for me on the couch with a beer.

"Thought you could use this." He told me as he popped the cap open.

"Thanks" I told him taking a long swig. "Fuck Ivan, what am I going to do?"

Seeing Rose with my family tonight had only made me that much more certain I was falling for her. Everything about her captivated me and I couldn't deny the effect she had on me. Even my own family could see it now.

"Well, you've got two options D. Option one, you can keep pretending you aren't crazy about the girl, or two you can grow a pair and tell her. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see what's going on between you too, even Paul and he's only 8 years old. You keep telling me Rose is too fragile, that she's been through a lot and she doesn't need you confusing her, but Dimitri I've talked to the girl, and the only thing she's confused about is why you haven't made a move already!"

"What if it's too soon for her Ivan? What if she's not ready?"

"Why don't you let her decide that for herself D. Just talk to her."

He didn't say anything else about the matter, and for that I was grateful. I knew how I felt about Rose, and I was pretty sure she felt the same. But I also knew she'd been through hell these last few weeks and the last thing I wanted to do was pressure her. She needed me right now, and it didn't seem right to take advantage of that.

Sleep didn't come easy that night, and when it finally came it didn't' last long. I felt like I'd barely dozed off when I heard Rose screaming. Shooting straight up I took off at a sprint up the stairs. Mama was already out of her bedroom when I reached the hall and I could hear her trying to comfort Rose in the still dark bedroom. Flipping on the light switch I quickly ran to her side.

"She won't wake up" Mama told me frantically, and I tried to give her a reassuring look.

"It's okay Mama; can you just go get her a glass of water?" Without argument she rushed out of the room, eager to do something to help.

"Roza" I called out to her pulling her gently into my arms."Roza wake up."

Immediately her screams began to quiet down and I held her closer while I lovingly stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry" she sobbed. "I hate this."

"Shhh, just breathe Milaya. You have nothing to be sorry about. It's okay. You're okay."

By now Mama was back with the glass and Rose tentatively took a few sips.

"I'm so sorry Olena; I didn't mean to wake you."

"Hush now Roza, I'm just glad you're okay. Do you need anything else?" she asked looking at both of us.

But when she was satisfied I had things under control she quietly left the room. By now Rose's sobs had quieted down but I still wasn't ready to leave.

"Dimitri…" Rose looked at me. "Will you stay? I don't want to be alone." She looked so broken and scared and that it caused an ache in my heart.

Without another word I pulled back the covers and climbed in beside her. She didn't waste any time snuggling into my chest, and I instinctively wrapped both arms protectively around her.

"You're not alone Milaya. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

><p>"Well this looks cozy" A sarcastic voice called out.<p>

When I woke up the next morning, Rose was still wrapped securely in my arms. I could tell she was still asleep by the sound of her breathing, so I opened my groggy eyes to identify the voice.

Tasha was standing in the doorway leaning against the frame in her work out clothes.

"I was just headed out for a run, and thought I'd see if you wanted to join me."

I didn't really want to leave Rose, but it had been weeks since I'd gone running, and I'd been missing it. It was something I used to do every day, but staying with Rose had made finding the time nearly impossible.

"Yeah sure, that sounds good actually. Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

After changing into some warmer clothes I headed back down stairs. It was still early but I was less than surprised to find Mama already in the kitchen, she'd probably be in here for the rest of the day.

"You're up early" she observed turning her attention back to the bilini.

"Tasha and I are going to try and get in a run. Will you keep an ear out for Rose for me?"

She tended to sleep in pretty late when she had one of her midnight episodes and with any luck she'd still be sleeping when I got back.

"Of course Dimka. Have a good run."

As we made our way through the familiar trails of our old town, I realized just how much I needed this. Running had always been an escape of sorts for me. A way to block out the problems of the world and just clear my head.

"So are we going to talk about this?" Tasha asked while we did some cool down stretches.

"Talk about what?" I played dumb knowing full well she was talking about Rose.

"Cut the crap Dimitri, is there something going on between you two?"

Wow, she used my full name, now I know she's pissed.

I didn't really want to talk about this with Tasha especially knowing how she feels about me, but I knew she'd keep hounding me until I did, so I gave up on stretching and looked at her.

"I like her, okay? I can't help it but I do, and before you start lecturing me on all the reasons this is wrong, you should know that nothing's happened. I haven't even kissed her. I can't help how I feel about her, but I can help my actions and I'm not going to act on anything. Even if she feels the same way about me, she's been through a lot; the last thing she needs is me taking advantage of her feelings."

I expected to still get some more of argument out of Tasha but when I looked in her eyes all I saw was compassion.

"I know I've been hard on you Dimka, but I just don't want to see you get hurt. You never open your heart to anyone, I should know, I've been trying for years. And right now this girl has this whole hero worship thing going on, but what happens when she gets back on her feet? When she doesn't need you anymore?

It was something I'd thought of plenty in the last few weeks and for that, I still didn't have an answer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Rose's POV**

When I woke up the next morning, I wasn't sure if it was because of the heavenly smell that wafted through the air, or the sound of little giggles coming from somewhere nearby.

"Shhh!" I heard a small voice whisper. You're gonna wake her up!"

I smiled to myself when I realized it was Paul and the girls.

"Wake who up?" I asked loudly startling the 3 miniature humans who were peeking through the crack in the door. They quickly slammed it shut and ran down the stairs laughing, so I shuffled out of the bed to follow.

"I'm so sorry Roza; I hope they didn't wake you." Dimitri's sister Sonya apologized when I entered the kitchen.

Dimitri talked nonstop about his mother's exceptional cooking skills and judging by the amazing smells I couldn't wait to find out first hand.

"Don't worry about it." I assured her, taking an empty seat at the kitchen table. "I think it was more of the delicious smells that did it." I told her, earning an award winning smile from Olena.

"Bilini." She told me placing a huge stack of thin looking pancakes in front of me.

"Eat up sweetheart. And don't worry I made plenty. Dimka told me you have a very healthy appetite."

_Damn that sexy Russian._

Blushing I started in on the pancakes.

Hey I might be embarrassed but I was still hungry, and in all fairness they had been warned.

"Speaking of Dimitri, where is he?" I asked after devouring an un-lady like amount of food.

"With the She-Devil" Yeva muttered from her spot at the end of the table. She'd been so quiet I'd forgotten she was there.

"Mama!" Olena chastised before turning back to me. "He and Tasha went out for an early run."

_Ugh. Tasha._

I knew she was his friend and partner at work, but the woman could be a real bitch. Not to mention I'm pretty sure she hates my guts.

After breakfast I decided a shower was in order and when I came back down stairs Paul was nearly bouncing off the walls waiting for me to play with him.

"Roza are you ready!" he asked excitedly after I strapped my leg brace into place. I still couldn't walk for long periods of time without it.

"I'm ready Buddy, now what did you have in mind.?"

He wanted to watch the rest of the Christmas movies, but after thinking about my mother last night I had a better idea.

"How would you feel about making some cookies while we watched them? We could put them on in the back living room that way you can see them from the kitchen." I suggested.

When I was a little girl it was a tradition on Christmas Eve that my mother and I would get up early and make sugar cookies from scratch. We'd make the dough and use cookie cutters and once they cooled we'd do the silliest decorations on them.

"Now that sounds like a wonderful idea! Olena clapped rushing back into the kitchen to set up the supplies.

An hour later the dough was hard enough to roll out and we were giggling away in the kitchen. Olena had just about every Christmas cookie cutter known to mankind. There were teddy bears, bells, stars, trees, angels, gingerbread men and houses, and even a sleigh among a million others. Picking one up curiously off the counter Paul held it up to me.

"What's this?" he asked holding it up for my inspection.

"That's mistletoe" I told him while trying to help Yulia get a good grip on the teddy bear cutter in her hands.

"Like the kind Babushka has on the tree?"

I glanced over at the tree to double check.

"Yep"

"What's it for?" He asked, still not satisfied with the explanation.

"Well, you hold it over someone's head when you want to kiss them."

"Gross!" He shouted horrified. "Why would I want to do that?"

Shaking my head with laughter I was about to answer when a familiar husky voice chuckled from behind me.

"Trust me Paul, one day you'll meet someone and kissing won't seem like such a bad thing." Dimitri told his nephew as he moved to pull a glass from the cabinet.

He had just gotten back from his run and I could see the sweat glistening on his forehead and neck, and damn did he look sexy. When he turned back around our eyes locked into an intense staring contest and I mentally slapped myself when appraising his physique caused me to lick my lips. The only thing that made the humiliation bearable was that Dimitri mimicked the gesture in return.

"Have you ever kissed Roza?"

Both of our gazes snapped back to the curious little boy in the room and Dimitri turned the color of Santa's red sleigh.

"I'm sorry what?" Dimitri asked, probably in effort to buy himself some time.

"I asked if you've ever kissed Roza." Paul repeated with nothing but curiosity on his face.

"Um, No." he finally answered looking down at his feet.

"Huh." Paul said with a thoughtful expression. "Well you should."

And just like that he dropped the subject completely returning to the cookies, and completely oblivious to the sexual tension in the room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Dimitri's POV**

After my run with Tasha I was feeling pretty good, and as I walked up the path to the front door, I made a mental note to start doing it again more often.I'd been missing my friend these past few weeks, and after our talk today, it was the first time since I met Rose that I felt like we were okay.

We stopped at a little diner in town and had breakfast before racing back to the house, a race I won of course. At 6'7 I had yet to meet anyone who could keep up with my long strides.

When we walked back into the house Tasha hit the shower and surprisingly I found Rose in the kitchen. I'd spent enough time with her to know that cooking wasn't her forte.

She was sitting at the island in the kitchen surrounded by kids while Christmas cartoons played cheerily in the background. They were working on rolled out dough, using what looked like every cookie cutter my Mama owned. Her long dark hair was still damp from her recent shower but was pulled back loosely in a messy bun, and she had a smudge of flour on her delicate cheek. Yulia was sitting on her lap laughing and without my consent my mind flashed on an image of her someday doing this with children of our own.

In a desperate attempt to erase the thought I joined in her and Paul's conversation, only to wish I hadn't when the topic turned into whether or not I'd ever kissed Rose. After an evasive escape maneuver, I returned from my shower to find Rose all alone in the kitchen.

"Lose track of your Elves?" I asked, watching her pull a fresh batch of cookies from the oven.

"They're on a Coco break" she told me pointing to the kids sitting quietly in the living room, completely engrossed in the dancing characters on the screen.

"I just pulled out the last batch and they need to cool off before the kids can decorate them."

"Where's the rest of the family?" Up until now I hadn't even noticed that it was eerily quiet.

"Your mom and sisters had some last minute shopping. Ivan said something about picking up a suit, and Yeva's around here somewhere."

She was working on cleaning the flour mess covering the workstation when she scratched an itch on her nose, spreading more flour onto her face. She hadn't even noticed and she looked so adorable I let out a chuckle.

"What?" She asked confused. "Do I have something on my face?"

She reached up again to touch her face adding even my flour to the mix, turning my chuckle into a full blown laugh. I started to make my way over to her to wipe it off when Paul walked in the room, eager to see what all the fuss was about.

"Roza, why do you have flour all over your face?"

Her eyes widened and she looked down at her flour covered hands and blushed.

_God she looked beautiful. _

I was still laughing when she met my eyes and I noticed a mischievous twinkle in hers.

"Oh so you think this is so funny huh?" she asked gesturing to her powder covered face. I just nodded while Paul still laughed alongside me. Then without warning, she reached into the canister beside her chucking a hand full of flour at my face. Instantly I was covered in flour and Paul broke out in hysterics until he caught a face full of flour himself. Two more sets of giggles came from my tiny nieces at Rose's side and with a silent look of agreement we declared war.

* * *

><p><strong>20 minutes later:<strong>

"You can't win this Roza; you might as well surrender now!"

I was completely full of shit of course. The girls had been kicking our ass for the past 20 minutes and we were currently shielding ourselves behind the turned over small kitchen table. They had us exactly where they wanted us.

"Sorry Comrade, surrender is not in my nature." She yelled back from her safe position behind the island.

"What do we do now?" Paul asked as we heard the girls whispering strategically and laughing.

"I think it's time we admit defeat Buddy." And he looked at me with utter horror on his face.

"But they're girls Uncle Dimka. We can't get beat by a bunch of girls!"

I laughed at my nephew's logic ruffling his powdered covered head.

"I'm sorry Paul, but the older you get the more you realize, more often than not, the girls always win. I think they have secret powers."

His eyes widened and a disgruntled look settled across his face.

"I should have been on Roza's team..."

Emerging from our hiding face we found that the kitchen was destroyed.

"Babushka is gonna kill us" Paul whispered, grabbing the two little girls and rushing up the stairs to clean up. Once Rose and I were alone she walked over to me with a towel and laughed as she began wiping the flour off of my face.

"You look like the abominable snow monster" she giggled and I shook a head full of flour out of my head.

When she was satisfied my face was clean enough she glanced around the room to survey the damage. I had already set the kitchen table right side up, but the kitchen was still a disaster.

"Paul was right about one thing, your mama is going to kill us!"

I'm not sure what exactly possessed me to do it, but looking back at her in that moment, it was as if I didn't even have a choice.

I closed the gap between us using one arm to pull her closer resting my palm on the small of her back. The other hand reached up to cup her cheek in my palm and I firmly pressed her lips against mine.

She was startled at first but recovered quickly.

Throwing both arms around my neck she pressed herself closer and deepened the kiss. Tracing her bottom lip with my tongue she parted her mouth without hesitation and I eagerly explored every surface. Everything she did seemed to drive me wild, fueling the passion that had been brewing inside of me for weeks. I picked her small body up off the ground and without breaking the kiss set her gently on the counter.

Moving to stand between her legs, I let me hands roam freely over her body, anxious to memorize every surface. I had imagined kissing Rose at least a million times in the last month and not even once did any of those fantasies hold a candle to the real thing.

She was perfection and kissing her was bliss.

We were both so wrapped up in the feel of the other that we hadn't even noticed anyone come in until we heard an audible gasp. Breaking apart quickly our heads snapped over to the doorway and to the shocked face of my mother.


	9. Chapter 9

**Rose's POV**

I could only imagine how insane we must have looked.

Here we were making out in the middle of the kitchen, our flour covered bodies clinging to each other for dear life. Not to mention the disaster area we had created during our war. I still couldn't believe it had happened.

The kissing, not the flour war.

After weeks of dreaming about it, Dimitri had finally kissed me, and it was even better than I could have imagined. Well at least it was until his family walked in. With both arms still wrapped securely around his neck, I looked over at the doorway and into the shocked eyes of his mother.

"What on earth happened in here?" Olena asked glancing around the kitchen dumbfounded.

"Babushka Babushka!" Yulia cried out excitedly. "Look we had a flour war, and Uncle Dimka and Paul lost!"

"Uncle Dimka doesn't look too upset about it." Victoria snickered appearing in the doorway.

It was then that I realized the intimate position we were still frozen in. I quickly untangled myself from Dimitri and hopped off the counter.

"I'm so sorry Olena, things got a little out of hand. I promise we'll clean it all up."

But Olena took one look at her son and a brilliant smile lit up her previously shocked face.

"Don't be silly Roza; I'm just glad you guys had fun. Now why don't you two hurry on upstairs and get cleaned up. I've got a dinner to get started on."

She left little room for argument and gently pushed us from the room.

After my second shower of the day and when my body was flour free, I hear a gentle knock on the bedroom door. I half expected it to be Dimitri, but was just as pleased to find Victoria. I had tried calling Lissa to tell her about the kiss but she never answered and I was in desperate need of some girl talk.

"Hey Rose, how was YOUR day?" she asked flopping down on her bed with a smirk.

"Well unless you got to make out with an incredibly sexy Russian this afternoon, I'd say much better than yours." I teased flopping down beside her.

"Eww gross Rose, that's my brother." She shot me a horrified look.

"Yeah well he's not mine, and thank God for that."

I smirked back causing her to roll her warm brown eyes. It was amazing how much she looked like Dimitri. They really were an incredibly attractive family.

"So at the risk of scarring myself for life…how was it?" she asked knowing full well I needed to talk about it.

"Perfect." I sighed dreamily and she laughed.

"Wait, was this the first time that's happened?" she asked genuinely shocked. "I thought Dimitri was just trying to keep us out of his private life when he said you guys were just friends. I mean I've seen him around Tasha and SHE'S just a friend. You, nope. I knew right away there was something more to it."

I smiled to myself as I let her words sink in. Dimitri seemed to like me back just as much as I liked him. He didn't just invite me here out of pity; he had actually wanted to spend Christmas with me.

"God, can you imagine if Tasha had walked in on that. Man, she would have flipped her shit." Victoria laughed pulling me back from my thoughts.

"What's the deal with them anyway? I mean Dimitri told me that she's his partner and they've been friends since he was like 10, but the way she acts around him…"

"Oh she's totally in love with him, has been for years. Of course Dimka's never seen her in that way, but she still throws herself at him every chance she gets. Yeva can't stand her, and I know it bothers Mama how uncomfortable she makes him."

"Then why invite her for the holidays?" I asked.

"Her parents died in a car accident when she was 17 and Mama's taken pity on her ever since. She's a nice enough girl and if she'd ever lay off Dimitri it'd be fine. Maybe once the two of you get together she'll finally get a clue."

I didn't really know what to say to that so I just smiled.

"Anyway I just came in here to get a dress, what are you wearing tonight?" she asked cheerily as she made her way over to her closet.

"I hadn't really thought about it." I admitted. "What's the dress code like?"

"Mama goes big for Christmas, so we always dress pretty nice." She pulled out a beautiful white swear dress and my heart sank a bit.

"What's wrong?" she asked seeing my wistful expression.

"I didn't really pack anything that nice. Ever since…"

I couldn't really talk about the attack with other people.

"Well um, with my injuries, I haven't had a reason to dress up in a while. I barely ever leave the house." I admitted, playing with the hem of the t shirt I was wearing.

"Oh, well that's easy to fix" she told me easily, going back to searching through her closet. "Here, how about this one" she asked holding up a beautiful green cashmere sweater dress that cinched around the waist with a brown belt.

"It's gorgeous" I smiled. "Too bad my retarded leg brace will ruin the look."

"Do you have to wear it all the time?" She asked eyeing the big blue monster on my leg with curiosity.

"Not all the time, but it's a lot harder to walk without it, and when I don't Dimitri gives me a hard time." I told her rolling my eyes.

"Dimka's such a stickler for the rules" she laughed. "But it's Christmas; I think you deserve a break don't you? Besides, when I'm done with you, Dimka will be too busy staring at your beauty to even notice your missing leg brace."

Spending the rest of the afternoon with Victoria was exactly the kind of girl time I'd been craving.

Lissa had been so overwhelmed with work and finals that we'd barely had a chance to spend time together and I'd been dying to talk to someone about Dimitri for weeks, even if it was Dimitri's sister.

Him and Ivan had come up once to check on us, but Victoria shoed them away saying I was her captive for the rest of the afternoon, and I tried not to cringe at her choice of words. I knew dinner was almost ready because I could smell the delicious aroma that had been making its way upstairs for the last hour.

"Okay Rose, you're all set." After what felt like an eternity sitting at her vanity table, she finally deemed my hair and makeup perfect.

I carefully stood up on my brace free legs and glanced in the full length mirror on the door, liking what I saw. She had done a great job with my makeup, just the basics the way I liked. And my hair was down and curly, but pulled back from my face by a dark green silk headband with a small bow. The green cashmere sweater dress hugged my body perfectly, thanks to the fact that Victoria and I were practically the same size, and in another stroke of luck, her brown suede boots that clung to my calves fit perfectly as well.

"Thank you." I told her wrapping both arms around her neck.

She was surprised at first but quickly returned the gesture.

"This is the first time since…well a long time that I've actually felt like my old self." She smiled back at me warmly before taking my hand and leading me out of the bedroom.

"Good. Merry Christmas Roza."


	10. Chapter 10

**Dimitri's POV**

"What do you think they're doing up there Uncle Dimka?"

Paul had been less than patiently waiting for Rose and Victoria to come downstairs for over an hour.

After our little episode in the kitchen, the two of them had been camped out in the bedroom listening to music and laughing nonstop. As much as I wanted to spend time with Rose myself, I knew she'd been missing Lissa lately and needed this.

"Just girl stuff Paul." I answered, looking to Ivan for a little help.

He was still kind of disgruntled that Victoria was up there as well. Though he'd never admit as much to me, I knew he'd taken quite a liking to her over the past few years but honestly it didn't really bother me.

"But I'm bored" Paul whined as he eyed the staircase again.

"I'll play with you Paul." Tasha offered walking into the room.

She was wearing a bright blue long sleeved dress that matched her ice blue eyes nicely, and her raven black hair was pulled up tightly in an elegant bun.

"No thank you Miss Ozera, I'm just waiting for Roza."

Tasha face fell a bit and I felt bad for Paul's rejection. She was never anything but nice to him but for reasons unbeknownst to me, he just never seemed to care much for her.

I was about to apologize to her when I caught sight of Rose and Victoria coming down the stairs.

"Hey there's my guy!" Rose smiled as Paul rushed over to her for a hug.

She crouched down with open arms ready to pull him into her embrace. I was so preoccupied with how incredible she looked in that dress that it took me a minute to realize she wasn't wearing her leg brace.

"Wow Roza, you look pretty!" Paul complimented her with a wide smile.

"I second that." Ivan chimed in placing a gentle kiss on her cheek and helping her over to the couch.

I realized a little late I should have done that, but staring at her left me frozen in place. Clearing my voice I turned to look at the beautiful woman now seated next to me.

"He's right. You look beautiful." I told her earnestly and she looked back at me from under her long thick lashes and smiled. "Although I do believe you're missing something." I told her looking pointedly at her leg.

She just rolled her eyes and gave me a shove.

"It's Christmas Eve Comrade, so sue me for not wanting to look like a cripple today."

I knew how much she hated that brace, and in truth it was nice to see her without it for a change. It was the only outward sign she had left of her time in captivity, and without it you could almost forget it had happened.

"Fair enough Roza. Just promise me if your leg starts to bother you, you'll let me know."

"Na Uh, not a chance Dimitri. The minute I start complaining you'll strap that bad boy back on my leg and I am not having that."

I was about to argue with her when Mama called from the kitchen.

"Dinner's ready!"

I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on that leg myself.


	11. Chapter 11

**Rose's POV**

"Do you need any help with that?" I asked Olena who was busy washing dishes in the now spotless kitchen.

The kids were running around the living room waiting for the adults to finish coffee and dessert and Ivan and Dimitri were bringing down the several bags of presents Olena wanted scattered around the tree.

"Oh no dear, I don't want you standing on that leg too much. But I wouldn't mind the company if you'd like to stay and talk."

Olena Belikov was one of those mothers that you instantly fell in love with. She was warm and kind, everything a good mother should be, and it was easy to see why Dimitri had turned out to be such a good man.

"So Dimitri tells me you're a law student. How much schooling do you have left?"

"I'll be done in the spring, finally! I feel like I've been in school forever." I laughed.

"Any idea what you'll do after that?" She asked curiously, and I had a feeling she was going somewhere with all these questions.

"Well, I got offered a job at a firm I did an internship with last summer. It's in the city and near my apartment so I won't have to move anywhere."

She looked up from the sink and smiled at that.

"So you'll be staying in Chicago then?"

"Definitely."

She was about to ask me something else when Dimitri poked his head around the corner.

"You're not letting her help are you Mama?"

I chucked a napkin at him and narrowly missed, causing both him and Olena to laugh.

"Of course not Dimka, you asked me not to." I shot him an appalled look but he didn't seem fazed.

"Are you about done Mama, I think the kids are about to die of over excitement."

Olena laughed as she turned off the sink and wiped her wet hands on a dish towel.

"Ahh to be little and love Christmas." She sighed leading us out into the living room.

The rest of the family had all congregated around the tree and Dimitri lead me over to a clear spot on the floor. I wanted to lower myself to the ground on my own, but my traitorous leg protested and I almost fell over in the process.

"Now will you let me help you?" Dimitri asked and begrudgingly I accepted.

"Okay Rose, in this house we have a tradition" Olena told me while she passed around a stack of presents from under the tree.

"Each person gets to open two presents; the first one I pick, and the second one they pick."

Once each person had a gift in their hand I watched with curiosity as they tore into them revealing a pair of pajamas.

"Again Babushka?" Paul whined, earning a slight slap on the head from his mother Karolina.

"Sorry Paul, it's tradition" Olena told him with a smile and Victoria laughed when she saw my confused expression.

"Every year Mama buys us each a new pair of pajamas for Christmas morning. She likes the way they look in the pictures."

"Each family has their own color too." Sonya added gesturing to the blue and black flannel pajamas her and Yulia had been gifted.

Ivan and Tasha each had separate colors.

Karolina and her husbands were the same green and black as her two small children and Victoria, Yeva and Olena all matched with red and white ones.

Looking up at Dimitri I noticed he held a pair of red and black flannel pajamas in his hands and he gestured for me to open the still wrapped present in mine. I hesitantly tore at the carefully wrapped paper and couldn't keep the smile off my face when I found they were the exact same color as Dimitri's.

"Aww look how cute, you both match." Victoria squealed, and I noticed Olena wink at Dimitri from the corner of my eye.

"I don't think that was a coincidence." Dimitri murmured in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine at the feel of his breath on my skin.

After the rest of the presents were opened, the kids were ushered off upstairs to change into their new pajamas and ready themselves for bed.

They took an especially long time doddiling in the bathroom, and when it was time to pick out the cookies for Santa they changed their mind at least a dozen times. When it seemed they had run out of ways to stall they slowed made their way upstairs only for Paul to freeze midflight and come crashing back down into the living room.

"Roza, Roza we forgot to read your other Christmas stories." I looked to his mother for permission before promising anything, but a smile and nod let me know it was okay.

"You are absolutely right Paul. Maybe Uncle Dimka will be nice and run upstairs and get it for me, my leg is feeling pretty sore."

I gave Dimitri a sultry smile and he chuckled before hoisting himself off the floor to retrieve the book from my room. He was back down in less than a minutes and without warning scooped me up off the floor bridal style and set me carefully onto the couch. All three kids climbed onto my lap and snuggled closer while the rest of the family seemed content to watch from around the room.

"What's this one called?" Paul asked eagerly.

"This is **Twas the Night Before Christmas.** My mommy used to read this to me every Christmas Eve when I was little."

Ignoring the wistful feeling in my heart, I opened the book.

_Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house  
>Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;<br>The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,  
>In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;<em>

_The children were nestled all snug in their beds,_  
><em>While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;<em>  
><em>And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,<em>  
><em>Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,<em>

_When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,_  
><em>I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.<em>  
><em>Away to the window I flew like a flash,<em>  
><em>Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.<em>

_The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow_  
><em>Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below,<em>  
><em>When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,<em>  
><em>But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,<em>

_With a little old driver, so lively and quick,_  
><em>I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.<em>  
><em>More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,<em>  
><em>And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;<em>

_"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!_  
><em>On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!<em>  
><em>To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!<em>  
><em>Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"<em>

"Hey he forgot Rudolph!" Zoya interrupted with a grumpy look on her face. All the adults laughed as I remembered what a liking she'd taken to the little red nosed reindeer.

"I think this was written before that one foggy Christmas Eve sweetheart." I told her, and she nodded with understanding before settling back in to listen.

_And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof  
>The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.<br>As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,  
>Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.<em>

_He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,_  
><em>And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;<em>  
><em>A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,<em>  
><em>And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.<em>

_His eyes - how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!_  
><em>His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!<em>  
><em>His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,<em>  
><em>And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;<em>

_The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,_  
><em>And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;<em>  
><em>He had a broad face and a little round belly,<em>  
><em>That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.<em>

_He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,_  
><em>And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;<em>  
><em>A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,<em>  
><em>Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;<em>

_He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,_  
><em>And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,<em>  
><em>And laying his finger aside of his nose,<em>  
><em>And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;<em>

_He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,_  
><em>And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.<em>  
><em>But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,<em>  
><em>"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!"<em>

"Okay you three, now it's really time for bed." Karolina announced earning a fresh round of groans. "Tell everyone goodnight."

The kids made their way around the room doling out hugs and kisses to everyone they came across.

"Goodnight Uncle Dimka" Zoya hugged tightly to her uncle's neck.

"Goodnight Auntie Roza" she told me squeezing me the same in return.

I looked up over her little shoulder at Dimitri and saw the affection in his eyes. All the other adults in the room were smiling fondly as well, everyone that is except Tasha.

Once the kids were in bed, the rest of the living room dispersed and I took the opportunity to hobble upstairs and call Lissa. I still hadn't had a chance to tell her about kissing Dimitri, and I really needed a few minutes alone to think. After changing into my newly acquired pajamas, I picked up my cell phone and dialed her number.

**"Hey, you've reached Lissa. Leave a message and I'll call you back. Oh and if this is Rose, I love and miss you!"**

I shook my head and laughed at her recently edited voicemail before hanging up the phone. It was still too early to fall asleep, so I headed back down stairs to look for Dimitri. We hadn't had a chance to spend any time together tonight, and I couldn't get the kiss from earlier off my mind.

When I found him, he was in the back living room, half dressed in a Santa suit.

"What's all this?" I asked laughing as he worked the Santa cap onto his head. He smiled warmly at me before spinning around so I could get a good look.

_Does it make me a terrible person that I'm having inappropriate thoughts about Santa?_

Ivan came walking out of the kitchen and handed me a beer before plopping down on the couch beside me.

"Didn't Dimitri tell you? He moonlights as Santa." He teased earning a disapproving glare from Olena who was working on tying Dimitri's Santa belt.

"Paul has been asking a lot of questions about Santa's existence this year and swore he was going to sneak down stairs tonight for a peak, so Dimka offered to play the part." Olena explained smiling fondly at her only son.

_I can't say I blame her; it's a pretty adorable thing to do._

"You know Santa could use an Elf…" he winked at me and Ivan nearly choked on his beer, spitting some all over his new pajamas and me.

"Geez Ivan, drink much?" I asked, wiping away the stray spots that landed on my knee.

"Come on dear, let's get you cleaned up." Olena told him, pulling him to his feet and towards the kitchen.

The whole scene was hilarious and I couldn't help but laugh. Once we were safely alone in the room Dimitri came to sit beside me on the couch.

"How's the leg?" he asked, pulling it onto his lap and massaging it.

In all honesty it was killing me, and my head fell back against the couch with a soft moan at his touch. He chuckled and used his free hand to take the beer I was holding and set it down on the coffee table.

"I think this is the first time we've been alone together all night."

"Mmhmm" I answered too wrapped up in my bliss to form a real response. All at once his hands stopped and my eyes shot open in protest.

"Hey don't stop…" I started complaining, but the look in his eyes shut me up quickly.

Without thinking I wrapped my arms around his neck, gently pulling his lips towards mine. It seemed like the reaction he was hoping for, and in no time at all, I was on my back as he hovered over me on the couch. The little ball at the end of his Santa cap flopped forward hitting my cheek and we both laughed at the interruption.

"Ahem…" another voice cleared their throat and we both sat up to find Tasha staring at us, a murderous glint in her hard eyes. "Sorry to interrupt, but your mother wanted me to let you know everyone is heading upstairs now, so Paul should be down any minute."

"Um, okay. Thanks Tasha" Dimitri told her, looking down at me with a guilty expression. "You should probably head up too, Santa isn't supposed to come unless everyone's asleep…"

"Right, of course." I mumbled, trying to untangle myself from underneath him.

"Um…It might be easier if you let me up…" I told him, gesturing to the strong hold he still had on my body. With an embarrassed laugh he stood up and helped me to my feet.

I was just about to round the corner when I felt his grip tighten on my hand and pull me back towards him.

"Should I…I mean will you…do you want me to.." I knew what he was trying to say and I decided to be nice and put him out of his misery.

"Dimitri…meet me upstairs when you're done." With a wink and a grin in response I headed up the stairs to wait for Santa.


	12. Chapter 12

**Dimitri's POV**

After turning off the rest of the downstairs light's I headed into the front living room where Ivan was "sleeping" on the couch.

"You and Mama sent Tasha in there on purpose, didn't you?" I asked as I set down the giant red bag I was carrying for show.

Ivan laughed and rolled over to meet my accusing stare.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh huh" I muttered before hearing a pair of tiny feet at the top of the stairs. Ivan quickly went back to pretend sleeping and I picked up one of the cookies the kids left out and took a generous bite.

"It's really you!" Paul whispered in awe and I swung around to face him.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" I asked with a wink and he looked down at his slippers ashamed.

"I'm sorry Santa. Tony Melina said you weren't real, and I wanted to prove that he was wrong. I knew you were real though, I did. I promise." I laughed a hearty laugh and smiled fondly at my nephew.

"You don't have to convince me Paul, I've been watching you." I reminded him with another wink. "Now up you go, back to sleep little one."

Paul quickly turned to run back up the stairs but stopped and spun back around to face me.

"Santa… I know I already wrote you a list, but is it too late to ask you for something else?"

I wasn't sure where this change of heart was coming from, and I cocked my head to the side curiously.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Can you take away Roza's nightmares? I know it's not a toy, but I heard Mama and Uncle Dimka trying to help her last night and she seemed really sad about it. She said it happens a lot, and well, I just want her to feel better. She's really nice and Uncle Dimka likes her a lot, I can tell."

I stared back into the innocent face of my little nephew, my chest tight with emotion at his selfless request.

"I'll do my best." I promised him. "Now goodnight Paul, and Merry Christmas.

I was still thinking about what Paul said when I found myself outside Roza's bedroom. I knocked lightly on the door before peaking my head in and noticed her sleeping form in the bed. Careful not to disturb her, I slipped in beside her and gently pulled her to me.

"Hey" she mumbled, snuggling closer to my chest. "I thought maybe you weren't coming."

"I'm here Milaya, I'll always be here." She didn't say anything for a minute and I thought she fell back to sleep, but surprising me she rolled over and laid on her side to face me. Reaching up she lightly stroked the side of my cheek with her palm before placing her lips gently against mine.

"I don't know what I would do without you Dimitri…"

"I have a sinking suspicion that you'd be just fine. You're a fighter Rose, and you're the strongest woman I know."

"That's true, I am pretty bad ass." She smirked. "But honestly Dimitri, thank you. Thank you for sticking by me through all of this, for bringing me here, and for including me with your family. This is the first Christmas in a long time that I remembered what it felt like to be part of a real family."

Looking back into her beautiful brown eyes I saw an admiration and affection that mirrored my own.

"My family adores you, you know, especially my Mama."

Even though we hadn't had a conversation about it, I could see the way her eyes sparkled whenever she saw Rose and me together.

"Good" she smiled before placing another chaste kiss upon my lips. "Although I don't think you can say the same about Tasha. Did you see the look on her face downstairs?"

I let out a heavy sigh thinking about Tasha might say. Just this morning I had her convinced there was nothing going on, and at the time it was true.

Of course that was before I came home and turned into a flour covered school boy who got caught making out in my mother's kitchen.

"Tasha is just worried…but she'll come around." Even as I said the words I wasn't quite sure I believed them. I wasn't sure she'd ever be okay with me dating Rose, or any woman for that matter.

"Dimitri…did you and Tasha ever sleep together?

_What?_

Her question caught me completely off guard and it took a moment for me to answer.

"I mean it's okay if you did, it's just that with the way she acts; well it's more like she's an ex than a concerned friend. I wouldn't blame you if you did, she's a beautiful woman. A little uptight maybe, but still beautiful."

I could hear the insecurity in her voice and wanted so much to reassure her. Cupping her face gently in both hands I pulled her in for a passionate kiss and by the time we broke away we were both gasping for air.

"No Roza, I've never been with Tasha." I told her as I ran my fingers gently through her hair. "And even if I had, you have nothing to worry about. From the moment I met you, you had me captivated; and there's no one else I'd rather be with than you."


	13. Chapter 13

**Rose's POV**

"Are you sure you have to go, we haven't even celebrated New Year's yet!"

Poor Olena was having a hard time letting us go, and admittedly I felt the same.

Christmas with the Belikov's had been incredible, and not just because Dimitri finally came clean about his feelings for me. Everything about being here felt right. They were everything a good family should be and now I was one of them.

"I'm sorry Mama, but I have to work and Rose has to get ready for her classes. Not to mention all the physical therapy she's missed out on."

"You're right Dimka, you're right." Olena conceded pulling her 6'7 son down for a hug. "I'm just going to miss you so much baby boy."

"Mama's boy" Ivan chuckled as he walked past, earning a slap on the back of the head from Olena.

After another round of hugs and kisses from the Belikov's, Dimitri and Ivan started loading up the car. Paul still hadn't come out of the bedroom, refusing to see us because he was too upset we were leaving. I felt terrible about it, and I knew I'd miss him most of all. I was still thinking about him when I felt two strong arms wrap around me from behind. Smiling I leaned back into his chest, inhaling the intoxicating scent of his aftershave.

"The cars all packed, are you ready?" he asked pressing a tender kiss to my temple.

"I guess so, I just wish Paul would come out and say goodbye." I took one last wistful glance at the stairs before turning to walk out the door. We barely made it down the driveway when Paul came thundering across the yard towards us.

"Roza wait!" he cried, flinging himself into my arms. I pulled him tighter to my chest and smiled. "I'm sorry I got mad at you and Uncle Dimka. I know you have to go home; I'm just going to miss you."

"I know Paul; I'm going to miss you too. But we'll see each other again soon, I promise."

"How about my birthday, it's in February. You could come home for my party!"

His little eyes were so bright and hopeful that I looked up at Dimitri for confirmation before making any promises. A smile and nod let me know it was okay.

"February sounds perfect." I told him, kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

As much as I hated leaving Dimitri's family, I was really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I missed my familiar little apartment and worn in bed sheets. I was also looking forward to Dimitri and I having some privacy, because there are some things you just can't do in your boyfriend's mother's house.

I was still fantasizing about all the things I wanted Dimitri to do to me when my senses were assaulted by a familiar smell. We were standing in the hallway just outside the apartment door, and it only took me a second to recognize it before I froze.

"Dimitri don't!" I shouted when he went to turn the key in the door.

"What's wrong Roza, what is it?" he asked frantically, although I could barely hear him through the panic that was now smothering me.

My heart was beating so fast I was sure it would pop right out of my chest. My whole body broke out in a cold clammy sweat and I had to hold onto the wall to keep from falling over. Sliding down against the door frame I lowered my head between my knees and desperately tried to catch my breath. I could hear Dimitri calling out to me but I couldn't make myself respond. Instead I just sat there, paralyzed by fear; unable to tell Dimitri what I knew was on the other side of that door.

"What happened?" Ivan called out from the end of the hallway, rushing over to our side. Tasha was with him watching the situation with wary eyes.

"I don't know. She was fine until we got to the door and then she panicked. She keeps mumbling something about the smell."

_Huh. I hadn't realized I was even saying anything._

"Roza Milaya, Ivan's here. I'm going to check inside the apartment. I'll be right back." He kissed my forehead before I felt Ivan's arm replace Dimitri's around me.

"Hey, it's okay." Ivan crooned, stroking my hair soothingly. "Everything's going to be okay." I wanted to believe him, but I knew better. I knew as long as Nathan was still out there nothing would ever be okay.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, this is as far as I've gotten with this story. Review and let me know if you like it and you want me to continue. Thanks!<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**Dimitri's POV**

I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened the front door, but it certainly hadn't been this.

The entire living room was covered in rose's petals. There were at least 8 dozen bouquets scattered about the various surfaces around the house, and just as many candles, all of which were a sickly sweet scent. They had long since burned out, but the smell still lingered in the air.

"What the hell is all this?" Tasha wondered out loud, looking around the room in a state of shock.

I had no idea what to make of all this until I noticed the single rose and note lying on Rose's bedside table.

_My Darling Rose,_

_You can't imagine how much I've been missing you. While everyone else was off enjoying their holiday, all I could think about was being cheated out of my first Christmas with you. The holidays are a terrible time to be away from the one you love, but don't fret my pet; we'll make it up it next year. _

_All my love_

_Nathan_

That son of a bitch!

"Dimka, what is it?" Tasha asked walking in the bedroom.

My hand gripped the paper so tightly that it tore a little when she grabbed it out of my hands.

"How the hell did he get in here? I thought Alberta had eyes on this place?" she asked looking the room for some sort of explanation.

Her question was enough to break me out of my frozen state and I didn't waste any more time before moving into action. Pulling several bags out of the closet I began stuffing them full of Rose's things.

"What are you doing now?" Tasha asked exasperated.

I don't know why she bothered; I hadn't answered a single question out loud since we walked in.

"Dimka, stop!" she yelled, pulling my arm to a halt. I looked up at her worried expression and knew she needed some sort of answer.

"I'm packing the rest of Rose's things. I don't know when or how Nathan Whitmore got in here, but he did and now there's no way I'm letting Rose stay here."

I watched her face carefully trying to gauge her reaction, and the minute she realized what I was saying she lost it.

"You want her to move in with us?!" She screeched, clearly outraged by the idea. "Dimka that's insane. I'm not living with that woman. She's got a target on her back!"

"That woman is my girlfriend Tasha! And she needs me right now. God, how can you be so callous?" I shouted, completely appalled by her utter lack of sympathy.

"I'm not callous; I just know how to distance my work life from my personal life. Something you seem incapable of doing! I told you getting involved with her was a bad idea and you wouldn't listen. But this Dimitri…this is where I draw the line. This is my life too, and I don't want that woman in my house. "

I wanted to scream at her, I wanted to yell. I even wanted to throw shit at the wall. But before I got a chance to do any of that, Ivan stepped in. I hadn't even noticed him walk into the bedroom.

"Dimitri finish packing Rose's bags while I take her home. Tasha, you live in my house, which means you live by my rules. If you don't like it, feel free to move out. We may all live together, but it's my name on the lease, and there's no way we're leaving Rose anywhere that Nathan can find her, and that's final."

It was rare that Ivan took on that sort of tone with anyone, so when he did you always knew he meant business. Tasha knew better than to argue with after that, but that didn't mean she wasn't still furious. With one last irritated glance at us both, she huffed out, past a trembling Rose and out the front door.

* * *

><p><strong>Roses POV<strong>

After the world's longest shower, I pulled on one of Dimitri's old t shirts and headed downstairs. We were barely in the door 10 minutes when he got a call from Alberta and went down to the station to fill her in. I hated to see him leave, but I needed the time to pull myself together.

I found Ivan sitting on the couch reading over some sales reports and he smiled when he heard me approach. He patted the seat beside him and reached behind the sofa to drape a blanket over me.

"How you holding up kid?"

"Honestly, I don't know." I admitted. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

"I wanted to ask you something, and if you're not comfortable telling me I understand. But how did you know he'd been there? You never even went inside."

I knew Ivan was curious, and Dimitri had been wondering the same thing.

My therapist kept insisting that I talk about my time in captivity, that the only way I would ever really recover was if I faced what had happened. Of course that's a lot easier to say when you're not the person who was held in captivity for weeks.

"It was the smell." I told Ivan, looking up to meet his curious gaze. "When Nathan held me captive, he was obsessed with "romancing" me. He would cover the bed in rose petals and light these god awful smelling candles. When we got to the front door, I smelled it, and I just knew." I felt Ivan reach over to touch my hand and I tried not to flinch away from the contact.

"I'm so sorry Rose. I can't even imagine what that was like for you."

It was true, what had happened to me was terrible. But I also knew it could have been worse. Victor had abducted 6 other girls before me, and each one had met a harsher fate. I may have been beaten and tortured, but I hadn't been raped or killed; so at least that was something.

We didn't talk about much after that; I think he could tell I needed to be alone with my thoughts and by the time Dimitri returned a few hours later, I was feeling a little more like myself. After a little forced conversation on all our parts, we managed to get through a nice dinner together and when we settled in to watch a movie, neither of the guys even complained when I picked a romantic comedy.

We were about halfway through the movie when Tasha came stumbling in, and much to my surprise she wasn't alone.

Attached to her face was easily one of the most grimy looking guys I had ever seen, and they were practically half naked as they made their way up to her bedroom. When the door slammed closed behind them, we all just looked at each other. No one seemed to know what to say and just as Ivan was about to try and say something, a loud moan resonated from the bedroom.

_Wow._

After a few more moments of shocked silence and Tasha's overly dramatic sex sounds I couldn't take anymore.

"Well this isn't awkward at all…." I announced, turning the volume up a little more on the television.

Beside me Ivan started laughing loudly but Dimitri was unusually quiet.

"Well I suppose if this movie doesn't start to get interesting soon, we can always switch to Tasha's amateur porn." Ivan suggested with a smirk.

_Gross._

It was bad enough I had to hear it; I didn't want to visualize the mental images that went along with it.

"Okay, that's just wrong!" I told him, shoving him playfully on the arm.

Dimitri was still seething about something, but now hardly seemed like the time to press him about him. I knew it had something to do with Tasha, and a small part of me wondered if he was secretly jealous.

He always said the two of them were just friends, but he'd been fine all through dinner, and then she showed up here banging some random guy's brains out and all of a sudden his mood soured. I didn't want to believe it, but the insecure side of me kept making its self-known.

Mercifully, the sex-a-thon ended not to long after that, although we did have to suffer through an incredibly drawn out and disgusting goodbye as she saw him out the door.

When it was over she turned around to face us.

"What?" she asked innocently, as if she hadn't just put on the most over the top sexual performance, most likely for Dimitri's sake.

As a woman I was well aware of what she was doing. I'd heard her vehemently protest to me moving in here and I knew damn well how she felt about Dimitri. She was trying to make him jealous and so help me, I think it was working. My heart sank a little at the omission.

"What the hell was that?" Dimitri asked, no longer feeling the need to bit his tongue.

_Oh God, here it comes._

"It's called sex Dimitri, you should try it sometime…"

_Ouch. That was low._

"I'm not talking about the sex Tasha; I'm talking about the random stranger you brought into the house? Did you even know that guy?

_Yep…he's definitely jealous._

"Why do you even care?" She shot back, her eyes sparkling at the reaction she seemed to be getting out of him.

This was exactly what she had been hoping for and I knew it.

"I care because Rose is here! You can't be parading a bunch of strangers through the house while she's living with us, it's not safe! What if one of them is connected to Nathan!" He shouted, standing up from his spot on the couch to glare at her.

_Okay…so maybe he's not jealous after all._

Tasha seemed to have reached the same conclusion as I did, because her eyes suddenly hardened at his harsh tone.

"What, so I'm not supposed to have a sex life anymore because someone's out to get your girlfriend? That sounds like a personal problem Dimitri…"

_What a bitch!_

Okay, so I know that they have been friends with this chick since they were ten and all, but Yeva may have been on to something when she called her a she-devil. The woman was a grade a bitch, with zero sympathy and a terrible personality.

What exactly was it that made them like her in the first place?

"That's enough!" Ivan interrupted before Dimitri could proceed to bite her head off.

Both parties stopped their shouting match to look at Ivan and found the same thing I did when they looked at him; he was pissed.

"Tasha, we've been over this. Rose is staying here for awhile, and that means a couple of things are going to need to change. It may not be fair, but that's the way it's going to be. If you want a meaningless hookup, do like I do and get it somewhere else. As for you Dimitri, biting Tasha's head off isn't going to help you two solve this case any faster. You want to catch Nathan, then the two of you need to work together. Now if the two of you are quite finished….I think Rose and I would like to finish this here crappy movie okay?"

Neither of them argued after that, but I could tell this argument wasn't really over. Tasha stalked back up to her room, while Dimitri settled back down on the couch beside me.

Something told me this was going to be a hella-awkward couple of weeks….


	15. Chapter 15

**Rose's POV**

"On a scale of one to ten…how would you rate the pain today?"

_I hated when she asked me this question. I never really knew how to answer. _

"Physical or Mental?" I asked, trying stall for time.

"Either one." She stated simply.

_I also hated when she did that; appeased me. It was so annoying._

Deidre had been my therapist now for the last 3 months, and most days I didn't feel like we were getting anywhere. I was still having nightmares, although that probably had something to do with the fact that Nathan was still out there, creeping into my apartment and leaving me strange gifts.

Dimitri was doing his best to keep me distracted but it wasn't easy.

"I'm fine." I answered, not really in the mood to answer either. I knew how much it annoyed her when I said this so I smiled a little smugly to myself.

"Physically or Mentally?" she asked, trying to pry for more information.

But she wasn't going to get anyway.

"Either one." Was my only response.

If Deidre was getting irritated herself she didn't show it.

We spent the rest of the session back and forth that way before she finally gave up and let me go 15 minutes early.

As usual Dimitri was waiting for me in the lobby.

"You finished early today…is everything okay?" he asked, eyeing me with wary concern.

_I was crazy about the guy, but seriously he worried too much._

"Everything's fine, I just wasn't feeling very talkative today."

I wouldn't say as much in therapy today, but a lot of bad mood had to do with Tasha. She'd been incredibly difficult to live with lately and made sure I felt unwelcome very chance she could get.

I could tell Dimitri wanted to ask more, but thought better of it. Instead he settled for giving me a light kiss and helping me gently into the car.

_I swear the man thinks I'm a porcelain doll...Wow; I am in a really shitty mood today._

For the first time that I can remember, I was actually grateful for the distraction of school. I looked forward to going every day, thankful for the chance to get out of the house. And when my own thoughts began to overwhelm me, I could bury my mind inside my law books. I had a lot of catching up to do if I wanted to graduate in May.

Speaking of studying, that what I was currently trying to do when I was interrupted.

"Hey, you got a second?" Ivan asked from the doorway.

He'd been really great about letting me stay here and we'd actually become pretty good friends.

"Sure, what's up?" I asked, setting aside my books.

When he took a seat beside me on the bed I could tell this was serious.

"How are you holding up?" he asked, eyeing me carefully while he waited for my answer.

_Ugh Seriously?!_

"Did Dimitri put you up to this?"

I was slightly annoyed that he wouldn't just let me have an off day. So what if I was feeling grumpy, given what I'd been through I was entitled to that wasn't I?

"Rose, he's just worried, and for the record he's not the only one." Ivan chastised and I immediately felt guilty for being such a bitch.

_God, maybe Tasha was rubbing off on me…._

"I'm sorry…" I apologized. "I'm just having an off day. It's just stressful trying to catch back up with school, and my therapies and Deidre constantly asking me how I'm feeling…"

"Sounds annoying" Ivan agreed making me chuckle. "But you know…if something else was really bothering you, you know you could talk to me right? I mean even if it's about Dimitri…"

I was about to protest that it wasn't necessary when a thought popped into my mind. It was something that actually had been bothering me a lot lately and I didn't quite know how to bring it up with him.

Maybe the best way to do that would be to talk to Ivan about it first.

"Ivan….how much does Dimitri know about what happened to me?"

He looked confused, but tried to answer.

"Um, I'm not sure what you mean. Are you talking about the umm….rape?"

_Bingo._

"See that's the thing Ivan…Nathan never raped me."

I gave that morsel of information a second to sink in before continuing.

"He was waiting…wanting to draw it out because….I'm a virgin."

If his eyes were big before, they were practically bugging out by now.

It wasn't often you came across an almost 24 year old virgin, especially one as attractive as me. But I'd been a dedicated student and I always had too much self-respect to just give it up to anyone. I was waiting for the right guy, waiting until I was in love. And honestly I was too terrified I'd end up pregnant and ruin all the plans I'd made for my life.

Ivan finally seemed to have recovered enough from his shock to speak.

"So then you're still a…virgin?" He asked, looking rather uncomfortable about the sudden turn in this conversation. It was actually rather amusing to watch him squirm. He was certainly getting more than he bargained for when he came into this room asking if I wanted to talk…

"Yep." I confirmed, making sure to P the pop sound for emphasis.

He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts a bit before turning to face me again.

"And what you really want to know is if Dimitri is aware of all this?" he asked, finally understanding what I wanted to know earlier.

"Yep."

Things had been progressing nicely between me and Dimitri but every time we got close to being intimate he'd clam up. Judging by the level of excitement in his pants I could tell it wasn't for lack of desire on his part, which led me to believe he was worried that he was pressuring me.

I knew his imagination had probably conjured up all kinds of horrible scenarios about what he thought I'd suffered at the hands of Nathan, and while I won't deny there was quite a bit of torture involved, I'd been lucky enough to escape with my virtue in tack.

Now I just needed to make sure Dimitri knew that.


	16. Chapter 16

**Rose's Point of View**

I'd have to remember to thank Ivan for this later…

Wrapped up in Dimitri's warm embrace, my mind kept wandering to the incredible night we'd just spent together.

**_*Flashback*_**

_We spent the first half of the evening celebrating Ivan's 29__th__ birthday in style. _

_Initially I didn't get why 29 was such a big deal but when I said as much, Ivan was kind enough to enlighten me. _

_Apparently the three of them had made some pact on their 21__st__ birthday that they'd make the most of their last birthday in their twenties. It was the last great birthday before he would settle into middle age. _

_Personally, I don't see 30 as middle aged, but hey who was I to argue with their drunken pact…_

_We started out the night at a fancy downtown restaurant and when dinner was over we hit the club._

_Ivan was the owner of an incredibly successful new club called Indigo, and after 10 minutes inside I could see why. The two story bar was equal parts hip and classy, the music was good, and the party never stopped. _

_And with Victoria in town for his birthday, Ivan's good mood was off the charts. _

_I wasn't really sure what the holdup there was, but if the two of them thought they were fooling anybody they were sadly mistaken. I had picked up on their sexual tension at Christmas and that had been when they were around their family. Here in a sweaty club, getting drunk with their inhibitions down….well let's just say a blind man would have picked up on this shit. _

_In a rare change of pace, Tasha was actually in a good mood tonight. Apparently she'd met some new bartender that worked at the club and invited him along to join in the festivities. _

_Unlike most of Tasha's recent conquests, Adrian actually seemed like a decent guy and even I had to admit the man was hot. He wasn't stop in traffic hot like Dimitri…but I could definitely see the appeal. He had shaggy messy brown hair and the brightest emerald green eyes I'd even see. He also radiated a certain charisma that just drew you in, despite the fact that he was a relentless flirt. _

_On more than one occasion he'd made a suggestive comment or two and Dimitri had gone all caveman on me, with the over the top PDA and staking his claim on me. I swear the man was two seconds away from peeing on my leg to mark his territory…_

_But if one good thing came out of Adrian's presence, it was that Dimitri and I got to enjoy the night. We danced and drank and for the first time since my abduction, I could almost forget that a serial killer was still on the loose pining for me. _

_It was a little after midnight when I noticed Ivan and Victoria had suspiciously disappeared._

"_I think those two crazy kids bailed on us." I told him, leaning in close to yell in to his ear. _

_With the sound of the bass thumping, it was the only way he'd be able to hear me._

_I thought the mere mention of his sister off getting busy would bother Dimitri, but I think the several shots he had in him left him a little distracted._

"_How about we do the same…" he replied, trailing long slow kisses down the length of my neck. _

_My whole body quivered with anticipation. _

_He didn't have to ask me twice._

_The cab ride back to the apartment took forever, but the moment we were through the front door Dimitri had me pressed firmly against the wall. His kisses became urgent and his hands roamed freely, touching every single inch of my skin they could find. I felt like my whole body was on fire. _

_I was vaguely aware of the fact that I was straddling his waist, his arms planted firmly under my ass for support. With very little effort necessary on his part, he carried me swiftly into the bedroom, slamming the door closed with his foot._

_This was it, I could feel it._

_After my talk with Ivan I had been wondering if he really would say anything to Dimitri…but looking at the undeniable lust and desire in his eyes, I was fairly certain he had._

_Soft warm lips collided with mine in a frenzied kiss as he gently led me towards the bed._

_He pushed me forward, his lips never leaving mine while his hands roamed freely over my nearly naked body. I could feel the liquid heat pooling between my legs and I was helpless to hold in the soft moan behind my lips._

_Being with Dimitri like this was even better than I could imagine. Much like with our first kiss, I realized it wasn't even possible to dream of this kind of perfection. The way he touched me felt too good to be true._

_Any fear's I'd had about Dimitri's touch reminding me of Nathan's were lost the moment I felt his warm lips on my skin. In this moment, the only thing that existed was Dimitri. _

_When he pulled back to look at me I caught a glimpse of his previous hesitation and I needed to do something to ease his mind._

_Threading my fingers into his soft locks of hair, I pulled his face impossibly closer to mine._

"_Please." I murmured against his lips. "I want this. I want you."_

_I could see the war he was waging within himself._

"_Roza…are you sure about this?" He asked, his voice low and husky with emotion._

_I could detect a trace of concern laced in there, but lust was the dominant emotion._

_I looked up at the god like man hovering over me and I knew I'd never been more sure about anything in my life. I'd spent my entire adult life waiting for this moment and I wasn't about to let it pass. _

_Losing my virginity had always been about waiting for the right moment and the right guy and I knew with absolute certainty that Dimitri was that guy._

_He came into my life at a time when I was most broken, and yet somehow he still saw the beauty within me._

_He was patient and kind and that kindness made me feel brave. _

_I didn't know what the future was going to hold for me, but I knew I would never regret this._

_Cupping his face firmly in my hands I pulled back to look at him squarely in the eye before I answered._

"_I'm sure Dimitri..."_

_And that was all he needed to hear._

**_*End Flashback*_**

I was so lost in the memory of last night that I didn't even notice when Dimitri started to stir beside me.

"Good Morning" he murmured, pressing a light kiss against my still bare shoulder.

Despite the frigid February air, I was more than warm enough snuggled against Dimitri's naked body. I smiled to myself before rolling over on my side to face him.

"Good morning." I whispered back, gazing into those milk chocolate eyes I loved so much.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, and I could see some of his usual concern returning.

As much as I sometimes complained about all the hovering, I had to admit it was nice to feel cared about.

I would never admit as much to Dimitri, but in all honesty I was actually pretty sore. Last night's activities had taken a toll on my still recovering body and it certainly didn't help matters that Dimitri wasn't small…

"I'm fine." I lied smoothly, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't buying it.

"You know…a nice hot shower will do wonders for your sore muscles." He smirked, further confirming my earlier suspicions.

"Is that so?" I challenged, lightly tracing a trail down his bare chest with my finger.

I had the pleasure of watching him let out a shudder before his hand struck out and caught my own.

"If you keep teasing me like this, we'll never make it out of this apartment on time." He warned, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before pulling back the covers.

Up until that moment I had completely forgotten we had another birthday party to get it. This time it was for Paul.

Dimitri disappeared from my sight but I knew where he'd gone when the shower kicked on a few seconds later.

With as minimal groaning as possible, I dragged my aching body out of bed and towards the sound of the warm waterfall that was calling to me. Aside from the sexual aches and pains, my poor head was killing me as a thank you for all the Russian vodka I had so foolishly consumed.

I briefly wondered how Ivan and Victoria were fairing this morning considering they had been a lot drunker than I was.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Dimitri chuckled when he saw me shuffle into the bathroom.

I wasn't exactly sure what I looked like, but I had a feeling it wasn't pretty.

Dimitri on the other hand was another story. I let out a lusty sigh as my gaze rested on his perfect naked form. All previous thoughts of my muscle aches and hangover were lost the moment my eyes caught sight of him.

"I will be…if you join me." I winked as I dropped the bed sheet I was wearing and stepped into the shower.

I didn't have to ask him twice.

* * *

><p>It took us a lot longer in the shower than expected and by the time we dragged ourselves out we were rushing around to get ready.<p>

Dimitri and Ivan were busy putting our overnight bags in the car while I mentally berated myself for not wrapping Paul's presents sooner.

I had scotch tape stuck awkwardly to my fingers when I heard Tasha's voice in the door way.

"That's a pretty shitty wrapping job." She commented, holding a fresh cup of coffee in her bony hands.

_And there goes my good mood._

"Was there something you needed?" I sighed.

We were already running behind schedule, and I was hardly in the mood to deal with her shit.

"Nope. I just didn't want to pass up an opportunity to ruin your morning the way you ruined my night."

I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. She seemed to be enjoying herself just fine last night.

I knew she was waiting for me to ask her about it, but I thought my time was better spent focusing on the task at hand.

"What…you're not even curious what you did now?" She challenged, raising one eyebrow. I always loved when Dimitri did that but on her it was just annoying.

"Nope. But I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway."

I looked up from Paul's present expectantly and waited for her to speak, but she never got the chance.

"Are you still working on that?" Dimitri asked laughing as he appeared beside Tasha in the doorway.

"So I'm not a professional gift wrapper…so sue me." I replied, throwing my hands up in the air in defeat. I looked down at the half wrapped toy in my lap and even I had to admit it was a sad sight.

Dimitri just shook his head before closing the distance between us and silencing me with a kiss.

"Give me that." He chuckled, taking the poorly wrapped present out of my hands. A few minutes later he had the paper crisply folded and taped.

"Show off." I muttered and he took me by the hand and helped me off the bed.

Tasha watched the whole exchange in bitter silence, glaring at us both from the doorway.

"Thanks for the invite by the way." She spoke up and for the first time since he'd entered, Dimitri actually seemed to notice her presence.

"I thought you'd enjoy a Rose free weekend." He spit back coldly.

His tone was harsh and a sharp contrast to the loving mood he'd been in just moment's ago. Needless to say, thing's still hadn't improved much on that front.

"Oh believe me, I intend to full enjoy it…" she told him just as coldly, staring him down all the while.

Neither of them said a word and I was beyond grateful when Ivan showed up in the doorway.

"Who's ready for a road trip?" He grinned, hiding his hung over eyes behind large sunglasses. I laughed out loud at his overly dramatic enthusiasm and shot him a grateful look for breaking up the tension.

Tasha may have been looking forward to us being gone, but not nearly as much as we were looking forward to leaving her behind.

Baia Illinois…here we come!


	17. Chapter 17

**Dimitri's POV**

"She seems well." My mother commented gazing out into the backyard.

I smiled when I saw Roza and Paul playing.

We were in the kitchen, trying to clean up the left over dishes from the party and catch a few quiet moment's together. With everything that had been going on in my life lately, we'd barely had a chance to talk and I was in desperate need of some motherly advice.

"She puts on a good show Mama, but I can see what this is doing to her."

It had been four months since Rose's abduction and we were still no closer to finding Nathan. Every time we thought we had a lead; it would turn out to be just another dead end. I felt like I was failing her and the constant fighting with Tasha wasn't helping.

"Just be patient with her Dimka, she's been through a lot." My mother reminded me.

"I'm not the one that's having trouble being patient." I grumbled, my mind flashing to Tasha.

"It's like ever since New Years I don't even recognize her. The way she treats Rose and her constant complaining, it's like living with a stranger." I told her trying to mask my irritation.

"Is Natasha still struggling to adjust?" My mother asked wistfully. I knew how much she cared about Tasha and I had a feeling she was just as disappointed in her recent behavior as I was.

"That's putting it mildly Mama. She hates Rose, and pretty much tells her as much every chance that she gets."

In the beginning I tried to be sympathetic. I knew how Tasha felt about me and that my relationship with Rose would take some getting used to. But as the weeks started to pass, I began to lose hope that Tasha would ever really come around.

"I'm sorry Son. I know how difficult it must be for you having to choose between the two."

That was an understatement.

"Yeah well Tasha isn't giving me much of a choice." I sighed.

With the dishes finally done, Mama turned off the water and wiped off her wet hands using her apron.

"Dimka sit down." She ordered, gently leading me over to the table. "Now I want to ask you something and I want you to keep in mind there is no right or wrong answer okay?"

I didn't really know where she was going with this, but I gave her a slight nod, letting her to know to continue.

"Do you love Natasha?" she asked.

My first instinct was to scoff at her question but I wasn't really in the mood to get slapped in the back of the head. Instead I decided to think on it for a moment, hoping I could give her an honest answer.

"No." I finally told her. "Not like I love Rose."

Even as a teenager I never thought about Tasha in that way, but that didn't mean that I didn't love her. We grew up together, went to the academy together and when her parents died I was there for her in the same way she had always been there for me.

She was one of my best friends.

"I love her Mama, but in the same way I love the rest of my family. I would still do anything for her, and always protect her, but Rose is my girlfriend now and a big part of my life. I need Tasha to understand that."

My mother looked at me with such affection before shaking her head.

"Then tell her that." she said softly.

"I've tried Mama; she doesn't want to hear it." I argued.

Did she honestly think I hadn't already tried to reason with her?

"The make her listen!" she shot back. "You may not be able to see it Dimka but that girl is scared. She's spent most of her life being one of the most important women in yours and now she feels like she's being replaced. She has no parents, no siblings; we are all that girl has. Family is more than just DNA son. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you – they are your family. Tasha is your family and it might go a long way towards fixing things if you would remind her of that."

Could it really be that simple?

I wanted to believe her and one good look at her face told me she believed it. With a small smile and a pat on the hand she rose from the table, leaving me to my own thoughts.

How had I let things get so out of control?

I was tired of fighting with Tasha and in truth I really did miss my friend. I wasn't entirely sure my mother's words would fix this but in that moment I knew I had to try.

* * *

><p><strong>Rose's POV<strong>

As far as birthday's go, the Belikov's sure know how to party.

Growing up in my family I was lucky if my parent's even remembered my birthday and after my mom died my dad stopped even bothering. Watching Paul today was a reminder of that.

Unlike my own childhood, Paul's family went all out. There were balloons and streamers and a great big piñata. We played games and ate cake and all the while Paul's smile never left his face. It had taken hours to settle him down that night and even then we'd had to promise to continue with Paul Palooza in the morning.

"Did you have a good time today?" Dimitri asked, sliding into the bed next to me.

"The best." I smiled fondly, snuggling closer to his body. "Who knew birthday parties could be so much fun?"

I watched as Dimitri's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Did you have your own birthday parties as a child?" he asked.

I thought about lying; I wasn't really in the mood for his pity. However Dimitri was like a walking polygraph so I didn't really see the point.

"No, my family wasn't really big on birthdays." I answered honestly.

He didn't say anything, but in the silence that followed I could almost hear the wheels turning in his mind.

"Well then I suppose this year we'll have to do something to change that." he smiled, tucking me closer into his body. I gladly accepted the extra comfort; there was nothing a good hug from Dimitri couldn't fix.

"I suppose we will." I whispered before letting my eyes close and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>As my eyelids fluttered open, I struggled to adjust to the sudden lights. <em>

_After God knows how long in that dimly lit basement, I was completely disorientated by my newly restored sight. It took several attempts at blinking before I was finally able to assess my surroundings and I was less than thrilled by what I found._

_I was still tied to the bed posts in a scantily clad outfit and the physical abuse I'd endured was clearly evident across my skin. I tried not to focus on the burns and lacerations for too long; not while I had a chance at an escape._

_It wasn't like my captors to be so careless and I wasn't exactly sure just how much time I would have. _

_My head was still foggy from all the sedation so it took me a few minutes before I realized my legs were untied. There was also a candle still burning on the nightstand and if I maneuvered just right I might be able to grip it with my feet._

_As I contorted my body in an unnatural angle, I mentally praised God that I'd let Lissa talk me in to taking Yoga._

_It wasn't easy but I did it._

_Holding the burning candle up to my wrist I had to bite back a scream when the hot wax dripped down my skin. It took several long minutes before my wrist sprang free and I quickly untied the other._

_I winced in pain at the stiffness in my body, but I couldn't let that slow me down. I needed to find a way out of here and fast. _

_My eyes scanned the room, searching for a weapon and I almost wept for joy when I saw a small carving knife sitting on a nearby dresser. Without another thought I snatched it off the table and headed towards the door. _

_Unfortunately for me that was the exact moment someone else chose to open it. Throwing myself flat against the wall I poised my knife ready to attack. I watched his shocked face as he spotted the empty bed and knew I needed to take advantage of the element of surprise._

_This was it. It was now or never._

_I lunged at my captor, shoving the knife firmly into his back. He let out a gargles scream as I yanked the blade out, only to shove it right back in again._

_He fell to the floor clutching at his chest in agony and swearing in an unfamiliar language. A small part of my brain kept screaming at me to finish him off, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Despite all the horrors I'd endured, I wasn't a killer; I just wanted my freedom._

_When I reached the door I could hear the muffled sound of voices on the floor below. I knew I'd never make it to the front door so I wandered the empty hallways trying to form a plan. _

_That's when I heard it. _

_Standing outside of the closed door, I leaned in closer to get a better listen. Behind the door was the unmistakable sound of someone crying._

_There was someone else here._

_I was just about to push the door open when I was suddenly assaulted from behind._

"_Going somewhere?" He sneered, his hot breath barely an inch from my ear. I tried to wiggle out of his grasp but I was having trouble getting loose._

"_Go to hell" I growled, raising my left leg to kick him in the groin. My other leg nearly buckled under my full weight and I heard and felt the small crack that let me know that it was broken. Luckily for me, my first kick had been solid and I watched as the bastard doubled over in pain. _

_I was just about to make a mad dash down the hallway when my conscience reminded me of the poor girl I'd be leaving behind. I didn't have much time, and I see my captor trying to make his way back onto his feet. It was in that moment that I had to make a decision. _

_Reaching down, I grabbed a fist full of his hair and dragged the blade across the flesh of his neck. Blood squirted out onto the carpet and it was all I could do not to throw up. _

_For the longest second of my life I just stood there paralyzed, unable to come to terms with that I had just done. But shock wore off when I heard the sound of the muffled voices getting closer. _

"_Where is she?" I heard a booming voice call out. It was the voice of a true monster; the rest of these guys were merely his henchmen._

_With no more time to waste I charged through the closed door, releasing the chained up girl behind it._

"_We have to hurry." I urged, dragging her from the room. She was in pretty bad shape and I could hear her whimper with every step_

"_Check on the other girl!" The monstrous voice barked again._

_Shit…_

_We shuffled as quickly as possible down the long hallway until I finally spotted an open window. We were on the second floor but the drop didn't seem to bad and there was a couple of bushes to break the fall. _

_I could the sound of voices again and I knew they weren't very far behind._

"_What do we do?" she cried, looking so frail and fragile. She'd never stand a chance against these guys._

"_We jump." I told her honestly, pulling her closer to the window's edge. Her eyes widened in panic and if I hadn't held such a tight grip on her I'm pretty sure she would have started running in the opposite direction. _

_I could tell by the look in her eyes that she couldn't bring herself to do it, not without a helping hand. With an abrupt shove, I pushed her through the open window, peering down to watch her fall. She might be angry with me now, but she'd thank me for this later._

_Once I saw that she was safely on the ground, my own body gave out and I slid down to the floor. She may not have been able to fight her way out of this mess, but that didn't mean I couldn't and I planned on giving her the very best chance she could get._

* * *

><p>"Roza, Roza wake up."<p>

When my eye lids fluttered open I was back in Olena's guest room with Dimitri.

_Damn I was getting tired of reliving that night…_

"Do you want to talk about?" Dimitri asked, gently wiping a tear off of my cheek. I hadn't even realized I was crying.

"There's nothing to talk about." I mumbled softly.

I knew that he meant well but I really wasn't up for reliving that again.

"It might help…" he pushed further.

"And it might not." I countered back.

_He seriously needed to drop this._

I watched as his eyes hardened a little at my tone and I felt a slight pang of guilt for being so short with him. I knew it wasn't fair to treat him this way but he was the one person I knew would let me.

"Fine." He grumbled. "But you're going to have to talk about this eventually." And I knew he was right.

Deidre had been telling me that for weeks now and we just kept hitting a wall with our sessions.

I wasn't an idiot, I knew I couldn't keep putting it off forever, but it was a catch 22. If you didn't put the trauma behind you, you couldn't move forward and if you did put the trauma behind you, you willing gave claim to the person you were before it happened.

To say it out loud was to admit I would never be the same again and I wasn't sure I was ready for that to happen. I had killed a man, albeit a terrible one, but that was the kind of thing that left a mark on someone.

We didn't say much after that, but that didn't stop me from thinking about it.

Could I really open up to Dimitri about that night? Would he think any less of me?

They were the questions I'd been asking myself for weeks now and I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to find out…

* * *

><p><strong>Read and Review Please : )<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**Dimitri's POV**

As much as I hated to leave my family behind, I was actually glad to see the weekend end.

The conversation I'd had with my mother had been weighing heavily on my mind, and I was anxious to get home and try to patch things up with Tasha.

Rose may be the woman that I love, but Mama was right when she reminded me that Tasha was my family; and it was well past time that we all start getting along.

The whole drive home I kept mentally working out what I wanted to say, but what I hadn't counted on was Tasha being gone when I got there.

Not only was there no one in the house, but all of her things were gone as well.

All she left behind was a note.

**It's better this way. You have my number if you need to reach me.**

**Tasha**

"What was she thinking, sneaking out in the middle of the night like this?" Ivan huffed. In spite of all their constant bickering I knew those two cared about one another, and her sudden disappearance hurt him just as much as it hurt me.

_Mama had been right._

"She was probably thinking no one would miss her if she was gone. You have to admit, things have been more than a little frosty around here lately…"

I saw a flash of guilt in Ivan's eyes and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was; we had seriously dropped the ball on this one.

"Dimitri, you need to go find her." Rose nudged me in the side. I turned to meet her gaze and felt another wave of guilt wash over me.

Rose was blaming herself for this.

"This isn't your fault." I told her softy. The last thing she needed was to beat herself up over this.

"That's very sweet of you to say, but we both know that's not true." She smiled sadly.

I was about to argue with her when my phone starting vibrating in my pocket.

"Hold that thought." I told her, pausing to take my cellphone out of my pants.

"Agent Belikov." I answered, turning my attention towards the phone. I hadn't even bothered to check the caller ID so I was surprised to find the person on the other end was just the person I had been hoping to talk to.

"Alberta called, we caught a lead." She told me, her voice as stuff as stone.

I knew we needed to talk about all this, but mentioning the case was a little distracting and now probably wasn't the best time to do this.

"I'm on my way." I told her and she quickly disconnected the phone.

Something told me this was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

* * *

><p>The whole drive over to the station my mind kept alternating between finding Nathan and finding a way to talk to Tasha.<p>

The guilt over this whole situation was overwhelming. I was a good man; or at least I tried to be and it wasn't like I meant to hurt Tasha. But I fell in love with Rose and I just couldn't bring myself to feel bad about that. I'd been taking care of other people my whole life, didn't I deserve to be happy to?

After arriving at the station, Alberta filled us in. Apparently she'd received an anonymous tip that Nathan was spotted at a motel about an hour away.

And 20 minutes later we were leaving the city.

With an hour to kill in the car, I figured now was as good a time as any so I turned down the radio Tasha was purposefully blaring and decided to give it a shot.

"So I got your note…" I started, trailing off at the end. This was a delicate conversation and I wasn't really sure how to go about approaching it.

"Yeah well I didn't make it hard to find." She answered coldly.

She really wasn't going to make this easy was she?

"Tasha" I sighed, but she cut me off before I had a chance to finish.

"Dimitri, just don't okay? It's done, I've made my decision, so can you just drop it now?" She asked exasperated.

There was a slight edge to her tone that she only ever used when she was trying to hide something.

_She was hurt…I had hurt her._

"Tasha I'm sorry." I apologized softly. "I haven't been paying enough attention to everything. There's been all this danger surrounding us and I've been so focused on protecting Rose that I forgot she's not the only person that might need me. I didn't realize just how badly I've messed things up until I came home and found your note. I haven't been there for you lately and I'm sorry for that."

In the uncomfortable silence that followed, I couldn't decide if I should keep talking. She hadn't told me to shut up again, but then she hadn't said anything else either.

"I appreciate the apology, but it still doesn't change anything. I'm not moving back in." She finally spoke. Her tone was less hostile but she still sounded pretty guarded.

"Why not?" I challenged.

The three of us had been living together since we were 22 and now she was going to throw that all away over one fight? It seemed ridiculous!

From the corner of my eye, I saw her swivel her head in my direction to glare at me.

"Dimitri, do you have any idea what it's like getting up every morning feeling hopeless? Feeling like the love of your life is waking up next to the wrong woman?" she spat, her eyes flashing with anger.

I was so stunned at her omission I didn't even know what to say. I recognized all those words but that sentence made zero sense to me. I wasn't the love of her life; hell we'd never even dated!

"I didn't know you felt so strong about me" I told her honestly. "I'm sorry if I did something to mislead you…"

As far as apologies go, it was a pretty lame one, but I was a little too shocked to think of something to more eloquent to say.

She just gave me a hard laugh and snorted.

"And that's the problem Dimitri. You didn't mislead me, you're just been too stupid to see what's been right in front of you! I've spent the last several years putting my own life on hold, just waiting for you to wake up and figure it out! And what do you do? You go and fall in love with Rose! Some poor little victim!" she shouted.

Despite the fact that I had started this whole conversation in the hopes of reconciling, I was starting to get a little pissed off myself.

I'd never asked her to put her life on hold for me; in fact I'd always been more than clear about my intentions. And the way she was talking about Rose right now, like she was damaged good; well that much didn't sit right with me either.

"Don't talk about Rose that way. She's been through a lot but she's no victim. She's a fighter and you'd know that if you ever bothered to get to know her!" I shouted back.

Yeah this was definitely not the way I had wanted this conversation to go…

"You see that! Right there! That's the reason why I moved out. You are constantly taking her side over mine. You don't even know her Dimitri!"

I could see her hands were now visibly shaking and the logical part of my brain kept screaming at me to just let this go.

But I didn't listen.

"The only person I feel like I don't know right now is you!" I shouted. "Tell me something Tasha, when did you become such a self-absorbed bitch? Or have you always been this way?"

I watched her recoil from my words as if I'd physically slapped her but even then I couldn't stop myself. I could practically feel the damn burst and all the pain and frustration I'd been hold in for the last few weeks suddenly came rushing to the surface.

"I get that your feelings are hurt Tasha and I'm sorry for that, but the way you've been treating Rose after everything she's been through; that is something I will never understand. The woman was kidnapped and tortured and the bastard is still out there! He's still tormenting her and yet you treat her like she's some sort of awful inconvenience! How would you feel if it was you Tasha? If you had to see the scars on your body every day, or live with the guilt of being forced to take another man's life!"

I knew what Rose had been forced to do that night, even if she wasn't ready to tell me about it. I'd seen the reports and the prints on the knife we had found matched Roses. She also happened to talk in her sleep and I'd overheard her crying one night, apologizing over and over in her sleep.

I'd spoken to Rose's therapist about it, but she said I needed to let Rose come to me with that conversation naturally. The best that I could do was be patient with her and be there when she was ready to talk.

When my ranting at Tasha had finally reached an end, I looked into her eyes and saw they were filled with tears. For the longest time neither of us said another word, but as we pulled into the motel Nathan was staying at she finally broke the silence.

"This conversation is over Dimitri, and when we get back to the city I'm requesting another partner."

The look she gave me was as cold as ice and without another word she exited the car.

_So much for us patching things up…_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Read and Review please : ) Let me know if you think Tasha deserved that.<em>**


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